American Government Power And Purpose Chapter 2

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Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union

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America's first written constitution. Adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777, the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union were the formal basis for America's national government until 1789, whey they were superseded by the Constitution

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Great Compromise

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An agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of it population but linked representation in House of Representatives to population

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Three-fifths Compromise

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An agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 stipulating that for purposes of the appointment of congressional seats, every slave would be counted as three-fifths of a person

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bicameralism

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The division of a legislative body into two houses or chambers

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expressed power

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The notion that the Constitution grants to the federal government only those powers specifically named in it text

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necessary and proper clause

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Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which enumerates the powers of Congress and provides Congress with the authority to make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry them out; also referred to as the elastic clause

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judicial review

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The power of the courts to declare actions of the legislative and executive branches invalid or unconstitutional. The Supreme Court asserted this power in Marbury v. Madison (1803

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supremacy clause

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A clause of Article VI of the Constitution that states that all laws passed by the national government and all treaties are the supreme laws of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision

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separation of powers

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The division of governmental power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision making

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federalism

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The system of government in which a constitution divides power between a central government and regional government

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Bill of Rights

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The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1791. The Bill of Rights ensures certain rights and liberties to people.

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Checks and balances

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The mechanisms through which each branch of government is able to participate in and influences the activities of the other branches

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Federalists

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Those who favored a strong national government and supported the constitution proposed at the American Constitutional convention of 1787

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Antifederalists

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Those who favored strong state governments and a weak national government and who were opponents of the constitution proposed at the American Constitutional Convention of 1787