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25 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Antifederalism
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a loosely organized group (never a formal political party) that opposed ratification of the Constitution, which the group believed would jeopardize individual freedom and state's rights. after ratification, the efforts of the Antifederalists led to the adoption of the first ten amendments
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Articles of Confederation
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the compact among the thirteen original states that formed the basis of the first national government of the United States from 1777 to 1789, when it was supplanted by the Constitution
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bicameral legislature
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a legislature composed of two houses or chamber. the US congress has the house and senate and every US state legislature is bicameral except Nebraska
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Bill of Rights
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the first ten amendments to the US constitution
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checks and balances
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a constitutional mechanism giving each branch some oversight and control of the other
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commerce clause
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the clause in Article 1 section 8 of the constitution that gives Congress the authority to regulate commerce with other natins and among the states
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confederation
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a political system in which states or regional governments retain ultimate authority except for those powers they expressly delegate to a central government
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Declaration of Independence
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the document drafted by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776, declaring the independence of the thirteen colonies from Great Britain
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Electoral College
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a body of electors in each state, chosen by voters, who formally elect the president and vice president of the US. Each states number of electoral votes equals its representation in Congress. an absolute majority of the total electoral vote is require to elect a president and vice president
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faction
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a group of people sharing common interests who are apposed to other groups with competing interests . James Madison defined a faction as any group with objectives contrary to general interests of society
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Great Compromise
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the agreement between large and small states and the Constitutional Convention (1787) that decided the selection and composition of Congress. The compromise stipulated that the lower chapter be chosen by direct popular vote and that upper chamber be selected by the state legislatures. representation in the house would be proportional to a states population, in the senate each state would have two members
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home rule
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power given by a state to locality to enact legislation and manage its own affairs locally. home rule also applies to Britain's administration of the American colonies
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judicial review
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the authority of a court to declare legilative and executive acts unconstitutional and therefore invalid
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logroll
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the result of legislative vote trading. example - legislatures representing urban districts may vote for an agricultural bills provided that legislatures from rural districts vote for a mass transit bill
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nationalists
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shifting to the national government responsibilities traditionally exercised by the states
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necessary and proper clause
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the last clause of Article I, Section 8, of the constitution. this clause grants Congress the authority to make all laws that are "necessary and proper" and to execute those laws
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New Jersey Plan
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New Jersey delegate William Patterson's proposal for reforming the Articles of Confederation. Introduced at the Constitutional Convention (1787), the New Jersey Plan was favored by delegates who supported state's rights
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pluralism
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a theory describing a political system in which all significant social interests freely compete with one another for influence over the government's policy decisions
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popular sovereignty
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citizen's delegation of authority to their agents in government, with the ability to rescind that authority
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Shay's rebellion
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uprising of 1786 led by Daniel Shays, a former captain in the Continental army and a bankrupt Massachusetts farmer, to protest the state's high taxes and aggressive debt collection policies. the rebellion demonstrated a fundamental weakness of the Articles of Confederation - its inability to keep the peace - and stimulated interest in strengthening the national government, leading ot the Philadelphia convention that framed the Constitution
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state's rights
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safeguards against a too-powerful national government that were favored by one group of delegates to the Constitutional Convention (1787), states rights advocates supported retaining those features of the Articles of Confederation that guarded state prerogatives, such as state participation in the selection of national officeholders and equal representation for each state regardless of population
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supremacy clause
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a clause in Article VI of the Constitution declaring that national laws are the "supreme" law of the land and therefor take precedence over any laws adopted by states or localities
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take care clause
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the provisions in Article II section 3, of the constitution instructing the president to "take care of the laws be faithfully executed"
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veto
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the formal power of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of Congress. a veto can be over-ridden by a two-thirds vote in each house
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Virginia Plan
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constitutional blueprint drafted by James Madison that sought to reform the Articles of Confederation. Introduced at the Constitutional Convention (1787) the plan proposed a tripartite national government, but unlike the subsequent Constitution, it provided for a popularly elected legislature that would dominate national policy-making. moreover, the national government would possess the authority to veto any state laws
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