Power & Structure
Each branch can limit the powers of the other branches
What does 'checks and balances' mean?
An agreement where each side gives up something to reach a solution
What is a compromise?
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution protecting individual freedoms.
What is the Bill of Rights?
People who supported the Constitution and a strong national government
Who were the Federalists?
White men who owned property
Government is divided into three branches (so no one part gets too powerful)
What does 'separation of powers' mean?
The agreement between large and small states that resulted in a two-house legislature with both population and equal representation
What is the Great Compromise?
Adding the Bill of Rights to the Constitution.
What convinced many Anti-Federalists to support the Constitution?
People who opposed the Constitution and feared strong central government
Who were the Anti-Federalists?
Societal beliefs, lack of property rights, and exclusion from citizenship
What are reasons why women were excluded from participation in 1787?
The system where power is divided between federal and state governments
What is federalism?
This resulted in counting enslaved people as 3/5 of a person for representation in Congress.
What is the 3/5 Compromise?
The right to express your opinions without government punishment (1st Amendment)
What is freedom of speech?
Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and Mercy Otis Warren
Who were leaders of the Anti-Federalist movement?
What kind of rights did free Black Americans have in 1787?
Regulate trade with other nations and between states
The Commerce Clause gives Congress power to:
Under this government all 13 states needed to agree to make any changes to the government.
What are The Articles of Confederation?
Government must follow fair procedures before taking away life, liberty, or property (5th Amendment)
What is due process?
A 2/3 vote in both houses
How can Congress override a presidential veto?
Treaty promises were often broken by the U.S. government
What is the lesson of the Greenville Treaty?
Declares that the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties are the supreme law of the land.
What is the Supremacy Clause?
The inability to collect taxes, regulate trade, or raise an army.
What were the major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
Freedoms and protections belonging to each person
What are individual rights?
2/3 of Congress propose, 3/4 of states ratify
What is one way to amend the Constitution?
The right to self-goverment.
What does sovereignty mean for tribal nations?