Constitutional Compromises & Convention
The Great (Connecticut) Compromise
This compromise created a bicameral legislature to satisfy both large and small states.
Necessary and Proper Clause / Elastic Clause
This clause gives Congress the power to make all laws "necessary and proper" for carrying out its enumerated powers.
Popular Sovereignty
The idea that government is created by and subject to the will of the people.
Federalism
The constitutional system that divides power between a national government and state governments.
Declaration of Independence
The document that formally announced the American colonies' break from Great Britain
Shay's Rebellion
This event demonstrated the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and spurred the call for the Constitutional Convention
Enumerated or Expressed Powers
These are powers specifically listed in the Constitution for the federal government.
Pluralist Theory)
The theory that political power is distributed among many competing interest groups.
McCulloch v. Maryland
This landmark case established the principle of implied powers and upheld the constitutionality of the national bank.
Federalist Papers
A series of essays written to persuade New York to ratify the Constitution.
New Jersey Plan
This plan called for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state.
Supremacy Clause
This clause establishes that the Constitution and federal laws are the "supreme law of the land."
Limited Government
The idea that a government's power should be restricted to protect individual rights.
Devolution
The process of returning power from the national government to the states.
Checks and Balances
The principle that each branch of government has the ability to limit the power of the other branches.
Three-Fifths Compromise
This agreement counted enslaved individuals as three-fifths of a person for representation.
Full Faith and Credit Clause
This clause in Article IV requires states to recognize the public acts and records of other states.
Natural Rights
Rights that people are born with, which government cannot take away.
Block Grant
This type of grant-in-aid gives states more flexibility in how to spend federal money.
Judicial Review
The power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional.
Articles of Confederation
This was the initial governing document of the U.S., which created a very weak central government.
Commerce Clause
This constitutional clause gives Congress the power to regulate trade between states and foreign nations.
Elite Theory
The theory that a small, wealthy elite class holds the most power.
U.S. v. Lopez
This Supreme Court case limited federal power by ruling the Gun-Free School Zones Act unconstitutional.
Faction
James Madison's term for a group he saw as a potential danger to the stability of a republic.