The Articles of Confederation
The Articles created no president and no national courts because Americans feared this kind of rule, which they had experienced under Britain.
What is a strong central government (or monarchy)?
This 1787 compromise created a two-house Congress.
What is the Great Compromise?
This is the division of power between the national government and the state governments.
What is federalism?
In the House, representation is based on __________. The census helps calculate it every ten years.
What is population?
Article II creates this branch of government, headed by the president.
What is the executive branch?
Article III creates this branch of government, made up of the nation's courts.
What is the judicial branch?
This opening statement of the Constitution begins with the words "We the People."
What is the Preamble?
Congress struggled to pay Revolutionary War debts because under the Articles it lacked the power to do this.
What is tax?
Under the Great Compromise, each state gets this amount of senators, which pleased the small states and allowed for equal representation.
What is two senators each?
This amendment reserves powers not given to the national government to the states or the people.
What is the Tenth Amendment?
This term describes Congress: a legislature made up of two chambers, the House and the Senate.
What is bicameral?
As head of the military, the president holds this title.
What is Commander in Chief?
This is the highest court in the United States.
What is the Supreme Court?
This idea, drawn from Montesquieu, divides the powers of government among the legislative, executive and judicial branches to prevent tyranny.
What is separation of powers?
In 1786–1787, this uprising of indebted Massachusetts farmers showed the Articles were too weak.
What is Shays' Rebellion?
This compromise counted each enslaved person as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation.
What is the Three-Fifths Compromise?
This group supported the Constitution as written, arguing a strong national government would best protect the nation.
Who are the Federalists?
Article I, Section 8 gave Congress the power to regulate this, meaning trade among the states and with foreign nations.
What is commerce?
The House brings charges and the Senate holds the trial in this process for removing an official from office.
What is impeachment?
This is the power of the courts to declare laws or executive actions unconstitutional.
What is judicial review?
This is the idea that the government's power comes from the people.
What is popular sovereignty?
The Articles created a “league of friendship” in which the states kept most of the power and the central government was weak. This type of government is called a what?
What is a confederation (a weak central government)?
One Convention compromise barred Congress from banning this until 1808.
What is the slave trade (the importation of enslaved people)?
This group opposed ratification because the Constitution lacked a bill of rights protecting individual liberties.
Who are the Antifederalists?
Congress can pass a bill over the president's veto with this vote.
What is a two-thirds vote of both the House and the Senate?
The president can make treaties and appoint ambassadors and judges only with the approval of this body.
What is the Senate?
Federal judges are nominated by this official and confirmed by this body.
*Two part answer*
Who are the President and the Senate?
Under this system, each branch has powers that can limit the other branches.
What is checks and balances?
Major actions under the Articles needed approval from this many states, which made national responses slow.
What is nine (a supermajority)?
This compromise let Congress regulate trade between the states and with other countries, but it could not tax exports. Southern states insisted on this limit to protect crops like tobacco and rice.
What is the Commerce Compromise?
Powers specifically listed for the federal government, like regulating interstate commerce and defense, are called these.
What are delegated (enumerated) powers?
This clause lets Congress make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out its listed powers.
What is the Elastic Clause (Necessary and Proper Clause)?
This presidential power lets the president pardon people or reduce their sentences for federal crimes.
What is clemency?
This 1803 Supreme Court case established the principle of judicial review.
What is Marbury v. Madison?
Powers that aren’t listed in the Constitution but are needed to carry out the powers that are listed are called these. They come from the Elastic Clause.
What are implied powers?