Vocabulary
What word means:
A written plan for government
Constitution
Who is known as the Father of the Constitution and also took detailed notes of the Constitutional Convention?
James Madison
What was the first written plan for the U.S. government?
(Hint: It established a weak national government)
The Articles of Confederation
What is the term used to describe how the Founding Fathers divided our government into three separate branches so that no branch or person would have too much power?
Separation of Powers
What word means:
A change or addition to a written document
Amendment
What word means:
A form of government in which the people rule, either directly or through elected representatives
Democracy
Who was the oldest delegate at the Constitutional Convention?
Benjamin Franklin
What important meeting (to replace the Articles of Confederation) took place in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787?
The Constitutional Convention
What is the term used to describe the power that each branch of government has to limit the power of the other two branches of government?
Checks and Balances
Which three words from the Constitution show that the government's power comes from the people?
"We the People..."
What word means:
Freedoms that are protected by law
Rights
Who was the President of the Constitutional Convention?
George Washington
What is the name of the solution that created two houses in Congress?
(States would have equal representation in the Senate and would be represented according to population in the House.)
The Great Compromise
What are the three levels of the government?
1. Federal
2. State
3. Local
What word means:
A legal process established to make sure people are not punished for a crime without first being found guilty in an orderly, adequate process that includes a fair trial
Due process
What word means:
An introduction that states the purpose of a document
Who is the head of the Legislative Branch?
Congress (made up of the Senate and House of Representatives)
What is the name of the solution the Founding Fathers agreed to when it came to the issue of slavery and representation in Congress?
The Three-Fifths Compromise
What are the three branches of government?
1. Legislative
2. Executive
3. Judicial
What are the five rights guaranteed by the First Amendment?
1. Freedom of Speech
2. Freedom of Religion
3. Freedom of the Press
4. Freedom of Assembly
5. Right to Petition
What word means:
A part that has a role within a larger organization
Branch
Who is the head of the Judicial Branch?
What do we call the first ten amendments that were added to the end of the U.S. Constitution?
The Bill of Rights
Which plan for the Legislative Branch favored big states?
The Virginia Plan
What word means:
To give something up in order to get what you want
Compromise