a type of organization in which two related parts work together
bicameral system
This law forced Native Americans off their land and led to great suffering.
Indian Removal Act
five enslaved workers would count as three free white persons
Three-Fifths Compromise
to change or add to a law or document
Amend
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson doubled the size of the United States by purchasing land from France for $15 million.
Louisiana Purchase
an English thinker who wrote that all men were born free and equal in rights. He believed that people had natural rights that belonged to them, simply because they were born as human beings.
John Locke
believed that any ruler or government only had the authority over people that it had because people permitted or granted this authority.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
1786, Massachusetts farmers staged an armed revolt against what they considered to be unfair taxes and harsh economic conditions.
Shays’s Rebellion
a period from the late 1600s through the 1700s in which philosophers and intellectuals suggested that people should live by reason and intelligence rather than superstition and traditional beliefs
The Age of Enlightenment
having to do with courts of law or decisions of right or wrong
judicial
From May 25 to September 16, 1787, men in America convened in Philadelphia to draft a new plan of government to replace the Articles of Confederation.
Constitutional Convention
having the power to carry out and enforce laws
executive
was the idea that people should have the right
to limit or restrict the power of their government.
Limited government
The large state plan
Idea: The more people a state has, the more representatives it should get in Congress.
Virginia Plan
The small state plan
Idea: Every state should have the same number of representatives, no matter how big or small.
New Jersey Plan
This group opposed the Constitution at first because they feared the national government would become too powerful and pushed for the Bill of Rights.
Anti-Federalists
has the power to make laws
legislative branch
The government can't punish you with cruel or unusual punishments.
Eighth Amendment
If you're accused of a crime, you have the right to remain silent and not be forced to testify against yourself. You also have the right to a fair trial.
Fifth Amendment
The government can't force you to let soldiers stay in your home.
Third Amendment
In some civil (non-criminal) cases, you have the right to a jury trial.
Seventh Amendment