Forms and Systems of Power
A loose alliance or union of independent states working together for common goals.
Confederacy
The first written framework of government for the newly independent United States.
The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that advocated for equal representation per state to protect smaller states.
New Jersey Plan
The famous colonial phrase protesting taxation by a British Parliament in which Americans had no voice.
No taxation without representation
Keeping order, providing leadership, maintaining security are:
Functions of government
A government structure where power is divided between a national authority and state governments
Federal system/Federalism
Under the Articles of Confederation, this level of government held almost all sovereign power.
State government
The agreement creating a bicameral legislature with equal Senate representation and population-based House representation.
Great Compromise/Connecticut Compromise
The political group that opposed the Constitution, fearing central government overreach and demanding a Bill of Rights.
Anti-Federalists
he constitutional idea that government authority is restricted by law to protect individual liberties and prevent tyranny.
Limited Government
The key defining trait shared by absolute monarchies, oligarchies, and dictatorships.
Concentrated power
Two major structural weaknesses of the national government under the Articles.
inability to tax, inability to raise an army, or lack of a national executive/judiciary?
The settlement determining how enslaved populations would be counted for representation and taxation.
3/5 compromise
The faction that supported ratifying the Constitution, arguing a strong central government was essential to preserve order.
Federalists
The Constitutional principle where state powers and national powers overlap, but federal law acts as the supreme law of the land.
Federalism
The constitutional principle holding that legitimate government authority comes directly from the citizens.
Popular Sovereignty
The 1786 uprising of Massachusetts farmers that revealed the national government's inability to maintain order.
Shays' Rebellion
The institution created by delegates to elect the U.S. President rather than relying on direct popular vote.
Electoral College
The minimum number of state approvals required for the Constitution to officially take effect.
Nine
The total number of representatives in the House today
435
The Enlightenment philosopher who argued that the fundamental purpose of government is to protect natural rights.
John Locke
The original mission assigned to delegates attending the 1787 Philadelphia Convention.
To revise (or amend) the Articles of Confederation
The absolute minimum number of total electoral votes guaranteed to any single state regardless of population.
Three
The constitutional amendment protecting assembly, petition, press, speech, and religion.
First
This enlightenment philosopher argued for the Leviathan, a strong figurehead running the government.
Thomas Hobbes