Government Terms
Another name for the national/central government.
What is the federal government?
The term for the men who gathered together to create the Constitution.
Who are the Framers?
This branch of government creates laws.
What is the legislative branch?
The plan to have enslaved people count for less than than their actual population in the total state population.
What is the Three Fifths Compromise/Clause?
This group supported the ratification of the Constitution as it was.
Who are the federalists?
Another name for the first ten amendments added to the Constitution.
What is the Bill of Rights?
This term means "a plan for government."
What is a constitution?
This document created the United States' first central government and was very weak.
What are the Articles of Confederation?
This branch of the government is headed by the president and enforces laws.
What is the executive branch?
The name of the plan for the legislative branch that was bicameral, and where representation was equal in one house and based off of population in the other.
What is the Great Compromise?
This group did not support the ratification of parts or all of the Constitution.
Who are the antifederalists?
This term is another word for a change to the Constitution.
What is an amendment?
Another name for representatives.
What are delegates?
This rebellion of indebted farmers in Massachusetts highlighted the weakness of the federal government.
What is Shays's Rebellion?
This branch of government interprets laws.
What is the judicial branch?
This plan for the legislature would have only one house, and representation would be equal between states.
What is the New Jersey Plan?
Federalists were generally from these types of areas.
What are urban areas (cities)?
This political group did not support the addition of a bill of rights to the Constitution.
Who are the federalists?
This term means "to approve."
What is ratify?
Many of the men at the Constitutional Convention supported this type of government in which power is shared between the central government and the states.
What is federalism?
The ability of one branch of the government to limit the power of the other two branches.
What is checks and balances?
This plan for the legislature would have been bicameral, and representation would be based off of population.
What is the Virginia Plan?
Antifederalists were generally from these types of areas.
What are rural areas?
(NAME AT LEAST ONE) These groups can propose amendments to the Constitution.
What is the Congress? and/or What are the state legislatures?
A term that means a nation or a state is self governing.
What is sovereign?
Many of the men at the Constitutional Convention supported this idea, which gave state governments power that the national government can not overrule.
What is dual sovereignty?
This term refers to the idea that each branch of government should have its own unique powers.
What is separation of powers?
This clause allowed the federal government to regulate and trade with other nations, between states, and Native Americans.
What is the commerce clause?
Antifederalists believed that these governments should have the most power.
What are state governments?
Three quarters of these must ratify an amendment in order for it to become part of the Constitution.
What are state legislatures?