Document justifying American Revolution with a list of grievances against the British crown.
Declaration of Independence
100
Proposal at the Constitutional Convention that said representation in the legislative branch should be equal across states.
New Jersey Plan
100
Requirement to serve: U.S. citizen for at least 7 years.
House of Representatives
100
Supreme Court decision allowing the federal government to establish a national bank, and noting that federal authority is supreme.
McCulloch v. Maryland
100
System of government in which power is divided between the federal and state governments.
Federalism
200
First constitution of the U.S.
Articles of Confederation
200
Proposal at Constitutional Convention that said representation in the legislative branch should be based on population.
Virginia Plan
200
Division of power among different branches.
Separation of powers
200
Form of government in which national government is weak and most power is in the hands of the states.
Confederation (confederal system)
200
Group who opposed ratification of the Constitution, fearing it gave too much power to the federal government.
Antifederalists
300
Enlightenment thinker who developed ideas of "consent of the governed" and "natural rights"
John Locke
300
Branch established in Articles I, II, and III of the Constitution. (Write Art. I - ___________, etc.)
Article I - Legislative
Article II - Executive
Article III - Judicial
300
Requirement to serve: at least 30 years old.
Senate
300
Amendment that declares powers not granted to the federal government, nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to the states.
Tenth Amendment
300
Word never explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, even though it was hugely important at the time of the document's framing and is referenced three times in the Constitution.
Slave or slavery
400
British Parliament passed the Coercive Acts (or Intolerable Acts) in response to this event.
Boston Tea Party
400
Ability of court's to review the constitutionality of laws.
Judicial Review
400
Division of power between two houses of Congress.
Bicameralism
400
Type of federalism that emerged during and after the New Deal (sometimes called "marble-cake federalism")
Cooperative federalism
400
Requirement to serve in office: none formally listed in the Constitution.
Judiciary/Supreme Court
500
Mob of farmers attack Massachusetts government to prevent foreclosures of their debt-ridden property, leading to Constitutional Convention.
Shays's Rebellion
500
Presidential vetoes, impeachment, and the process of appointing Supreme Court justices are all examples of this constitutional principle.
Checks and balances
500
Most common method of proposing a constitutional amendment.
2/3 vote in House and Senate
500
The majority of grant money given by the federal government to the states is through this type of grant-in-aid.
Categorical grants
500
The clause found in Article I, section 8 of the Constitution, which authorizes Congress to make all laws necessary to carrying out its enumerated powers.