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14 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Articles of Confederation
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A constitution drafted by the newly independent states in 1777 and ratified in 1781. It created a weak national government that could not levy taxes or regulate commerce. In 1789, it was replaced by our current constitution in order to create a stronger national government.
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Sovereignty
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A governmental unit that has supreme authority and is accountable to no higher institution.
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Unicameral legislature
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A lawmaking body with only one chamber, as in Nebraska.
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Shay's Rebellion
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A rebellion in 1787 led by Daniel Shays and other ex-Revolutionary War soldiers and officers to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes. The revolt highlighted the weaknesses of the Confederation and bolstered support for a stronger natl. gov.
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Great (or CN) Compromise
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A compromise at the Constitutional Con. in 1787 that reconciled the interests of small and large states for allowing the former to predominate in the Senate and the latter in the House. Under the agreement, each state received two reps. in the Senate, regardless of size, but was allotted reps. on the basis of pop. in the House.
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Judicial review
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The power of the courts to declare acts of the leg. and of the exec. to be unconstitutional and, hence, null and void.
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Sep. of powers
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A principle of American gov. whereby con. authority is shared by three sep. branches of gov.– the legislative, the executive, and the judicial.
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Federalism
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A pol. system in which ultimate authority is shared between a central government and state or regional governments.
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Checks and balances
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The power of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of gov. to block some acts by the other two branches.
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Faction
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According to James Madison, a group of people who seek to influence public policy in ways contrary to the public good.
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Federalists
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Supporters of a stronger central gov. who advocated ratification of the Constitution. After ratification, they founded a pol. party supporting a strong executive and Alexander Hamilton's economic policies.
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Antifederalists
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Opponents of a strong central gov. who campaigned against ratification of the Constitution in favor of a confederation of largely independent states. Antifederalists successfully marshaled public support for a federal bill of rights. After ratification, they formed a pol. party to support states' rights.
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Federalist Papers
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A series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay that were published in NY newspapers in 1787-1788 to convince New Yorkers to adopt the newly proposed Constitution. They are classics of American constitutional and political thought.
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Coalition
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An alliance among different groups (factions) or parties to achieve some political goal. An example is the coalition sometimes formed between Reps. and conservative Dems.
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