1.1-1.2
Jean-Jacques Rousseau uses the idea of "social contract" for the people to be governed, also known as
Popular Sovereignty
James Madison warned in Federalist No. 10 about these groups driven by passion or interest.
Factions
The compromise at the Constitutional Convention that created a bicameral legislature.
Great Compromise
A system where power is divided between the national and state governments.
Federalism
This 1970 law requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their actions.
National Environmental Policy Act
Citizens of sovereign states elects leaders for a limited time who make & execute the laws.
Republicanism
Opponents of the Constitution who feared centralized power would threaten liberty.
Anti-Federalists
This compromise determined how enslaved people would be counted for representation.
3/5 Compromise
This constitutional clause establishes that federal law is superior to state law.
Supremacy Clause
The federal agency created in 1970 to enforce environmental regulations and standards.
Environmental Protection Agency
The idea that government should be bound by certain rules to prevent abuse of power.
Limited Government
America’s first national governing document, replaced for being too weak.
Articles of Confederation
This constitutional clause gives Congress the power to regulate trade between states.
Commerce Clause
Powers specifically listed in the Constitution, like declaring war.
Enumerated Powers
This 1970 federal law classifies drugs into schedules and prohibits certain substances.
Controlled Substances Act
A model of democracy where citizens actively and directly shape policy through participation.
Participatory Democracy
A 1786 uprising of Massachusetts farmers that exposed the weaknesses of the Articles.
Shays' Rebellion
The division of government powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
Separation of Powers
The clause that gives Congress flexibility to pass laws “necessary and proper” to carry out its powers.
Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause)
In this 1819 Supreme Court case, the Court upheld Congress’s implied powers and denied a state’s right to tax the national bank.
McCulloch v. Maryland
A form of direct democracy where voters propose laws and vote on them directly.
Initiative
Supporters of the Constitution who argued for a stronger central government.
Federalists
The president’s power to reject a bill passed by Congress.
Veto
This amendment reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people.
10th Amendment
In this 1995 case, the Supreme Court ruled Congress had exceeded its commerce power by banning guns near schools.
United States v. Lopez