Chapter 2 gov voc

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  1. Define Amendments.
    Modifications or additions to the United States Constitution passed in accordance with the amendment procedures laid out in Article V.
  2. Define Anti-Federalists.
    Those who opposed ratification of the proposed Constitution of the United States.
  3. Define Articles of Confederation.
    The document creating a league of friendship governing the 13 states during and immediately after the war for independence; hampered by the limited power they vest in the legislature to collect revenue or regulate commerce, the Articles eventually proved unworkable for the new nation.
  4. Define Bill of Rights.
    The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which protect various rights of the people against the new federal government.
  5. Define Checks and Balances.
    A system of limits imposed by the Constitution which gives each branch of government the limited right to change or cancel the acts of other branches.
  6. Define Constitutional Convention.
    Meeting of delegates from 12 states in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787, which drew up an entirely new system of government to govern the United States.
  7. Define Declaration of Independence.
    Formal document listing colonists' grievances and articulating the colonists' intention to seek independence; formally adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.
  8. Define Enumerated Powers.
    Express powers explicitly granted by the Constitution such as the taxing power specifically granted to Congress.
  9. Define Federalist Papers.
    A series of articles authored by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay, which argued in favor of ratifying the proposed Constitution of the United States; The Federalist Papers outlined the philosophy and motivation of the document.
  10. Define Federalists.
    Those who supported ratification of the proposed Constitution of the United States between 1787 and 1789.
  11. Define Great Compromise.
    A proposal also known as the Connecticut Compromise, which provided for a bicameral legislature featuring an upper house based on equal representation among the states, and a lower house whose membership was based on each state's population; approved by a 5-4 vote of the state delegations.
  12. Define Loose Construction.
    Constitutional interpretation which gives constitutional provisions broad and open-ended meanings.
  13. Define New Jersey Plan.
    A proposal known also as the small states plan, which would have retained the Articles of Confederation principle of a legislature where states enjoyed equal representation.
  14. Define Popular Sovereignty.
    The doctrine which holds that the government is created by and subject to the will of the people, who are the source of all political power.
  15. Define Separation of Powers.
    the principle that each branch of government enjoys separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility.
  16. Define Shays's Rebellion.
    Armed uprising by debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers frustrated with the state government.
  17. Define Social Contract.
    A theoretical agreement between the government and the governed defining and limiting the rights and duties of each.
  18. Define Strict Construction.
    Constitutional interpretation which limits the government to only those powers explicitly stated in the Constitution.
  19. Define Three-Fifths Compromise.
    A compromise proposal in which five slaves would be counted as the equivalent of three free persons for purposes of taxes and representation.
  20. Define Virginia Plan.
    A proposal known also as the large states plan, which empowered three separate branches of government, including a legislature with membership proportional to population.
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Chapter 2 gov voc
2010-02-07 18:44:03

Political Science Ch.2 Vocab
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