Unit 1 - Government

Front 1

Articles of Confederation

Back 1

Plan of government adopted by the Continental Congress after the American Revolution; it established "a firm league of friendship" among the states, but allowed few important powers to the central gov't.

Front 2

Ratification

Back 2

Formal approval, final consent to the effectiveness of a constitution, constitutional amendment, or treaty.

Front 3

Popular Sovereignty

Back 3

Basic principle of the American system of government which asserts that the people are the source of any and all governmental power, and government can exist ony with the consent of the governed.

Front 4

Limited Government

Back 4

Basic principle of the American government which states that government is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has rights that government cannot take away.

Front 5

Separation of Powers

Back 5

Basic priciple of the American system of government, that the executive, legislative, and judicial powers are divided among three independent and coequal branches of government.

Front 6

Checks and Balances

Back 6

System of overlapping the powers of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches to permit each branch to check the actions of the others.

Front 7

Judicial Review

Back 7

The power of a court to determine the constitutionality of a governmental action.

Front 8

Federalism

Back 8

A system of government in which a written constitution divides power between a central, or national, government and several regional governments.