Words Part I
Define Bill of Rights
a formal listing of the basic rights of people in the United States; the first ten amendments to the Constitution
Define Anti-Federalists?
opponents of ratifying the U.S. Constitution. They favored the loose association of states established under the Articles of Confederation
Define executive branch
the part of government that carries out, or executes, the laws
Define ratify
to formally approve a plan or an agreement. The process of approval is called ratification.
Define Constitutional Convention
a meeting held in Philadelphia in 1787 at which delegates from the states wrote the U.S. Constitution
Define Articles of Confederation
the first written plan of government for the United States. A confederation is an association of states that cooperate for a common purpose.
Define Electoral College
the group established by the Constitution to elect the president and vice president. Voters in each state choose their electors when they vote for president.
Define constitution
a written plan that provides the basic framework of a government
Define legislative branch
the lawmaking part of government, called the legislature. To legislate is to make a law.
Define tribal sovereignty
the power of Indigenous tribes to govern themselves
Define Three-Fifths Compromise
an agreement made at the Constitutional Convention stating that enslaved persons would be counted as three-fifths of a person when determining a state’s population for representation in the House of Representatives
Define Enlightenment
the “Age of Reason” in 17th- and 18th-century Europe. Enlightenment thinkers emphasized using rational thought to discover truths about nature and society.
Define Great Compromise
the plan of government adopted at the Constitutional Convention that established a two-house Congress. In the House of Representatives, representation from each state is based on state population. In the Senate, each state is represented by two senators.
Define judicial review
the power of the Supreme Court to decide whether laws and acts made by the legislative and executive branches are unconstitutional
Define warrant
an order from a judge that authorizes police or other officials to take a certain action, such as searching someone’s property
Define defendant
a person who is required to defend himself or herself in a legal action. An example is an accused person who is put on trial for a crime.
Define popular sovereignty
the idea that the government’s authority comes from the people
Define The Federalist Papers
a series of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay in support of the ratification of the Constitution by the states
Define Checks and Balances
the system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other two branches
Define Northwest Territory
a region of the United States bounded by the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and the Great Lakes. The region was given to the United States by the Treaty of Paris in 1783.