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| 8398359556 | Articles of Confederation | America's first form of government following the revolution with a very weak central government and without independent executive or judicial branches |  | 0 |
| 8398359557 | Great Compromise | Constitutional Convention agreement that stated that states would have bicameral (2 house legislature) - House of Representatives based on population and the Senate would have equal representation |  | 1 |
| 8398359558 | Shays' Rebellion | Was a protest by farmers who faced problems from debts they owed to creditors. It contributed to the belief among political leaders that the nation needed a stronger central government |  | 2 |
| 8398359559 | Legislative Branch | Congress whose job it is to make laws |  | 3 |
| 8398359560 | Executive Branch | President, VP and Cabinet; job to enforce laws of nation |  | 4 |
| 8398359561 | Judicial Branch | Supreme Court and other lower federal courts - job to interpret the laws |  | 5 |
| 8398359562 | Checks and Balances | A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power |  | 6 |
| 8398359563 | Antifederalists | people who opposed ratification of the Constitution |  | 7 |
| 8398359564 | The Federalists Papers | a series of letters to the editors written in 1787-88 by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay encouraging support for ratification of the Constitution |  | 8 |
| 8398359565 | The U.S. Constitution | "the supreme law of the land" |  | 9 |
| 8398359566 | Land Ordinance of 1785 | Broke up pieces of federally owned land for the government to sell. Used as a way to generate revenue for the new nation. | 10 | |
| 8398359567 | Northwest Ordinance of 1787 | Established a procedure for new land to be made in to US territories and eventually states. | 11 | |
| 8398359568 | Roger Sherman | Proposed the Great Compromise | 12 | |
| 8398359569 | Virginia Plan | Plan for government proposed by James Madison which favored larger states. Suggested a bicameral legislature and using checks and balances. | 13 | |
| 8398359570 | New Jersey Plan | Plan for government proposed by William Patterson. Favored smaller states by suggesting a unicameral government with one vote per state and supreme federal power. | 14 | |
| 8398359571 | The 3/5 Compromise | Debate over whether or not slaves should be counted toward representation in the House of Representatives. | 15 | |
| 8398359572 | Ratification | The process of accepting the newly created Constitution. | 16 |
