Confederation to Constitution
The period of history where the United States was governed by the Articles of Confederation and realized that in order to become a stronger country they needed to make a change. The founding fathers adopted the Constitution and it has been the framework for American government ever since.
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| 295174702 | Republic | A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them in government. | |
| 295174703 | Articles of Confederation | This document, the nations first constitution, was adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1781during the Revolution. The document was limited because states held most of the power and congress lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, or control coinage of money. | |
| 295174704 | Shays' Rebellion | Conflict in Massachusetts which caused many to criticize the Articles of Confederation and admit the weak central government was not working; uprising led by Daniel Shays in an effort to prevent courts from foreclosing on the farms of those who could not pay the taxes | |
| 295174705 | Virginia Plan | Virginia delegate James Madison's plan of government, in which states got a number of representatives in Congress based on their population | |
| 295174706 | New Jersey Plan | The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population | |
| 295174707 | Great Compromise | A compromise between the New Jersey and Virginia Plans during the Constitutional Convention that created a two house legislature. The House of Representatives where representation would be based on population of the state and the Senate where each state would be represented equally. | |
| 295174708 | Federalism | The sharing of power between federal and state governments | |
| 295174709 | Federalist | Supporters of the Constitution | |
| 295174710 | Anti-federalist | Those who were against the ratification of the Constitution | |
| 295174711 | Federalist Papers | Series of essays that defended the Constitution and tried to reassure Americans that the states would not be overpowered by the federal government. | |
| 295174712 | Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution, containing a list of individual rights and liberties, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. | |
| 295174713 | Ratify | Approve formally; confirm; verify | |
| 295174714 | Congress | The legislative branch of government, as described in Article I of the US Constitution, consisting of the House of Representatives and Senate. Primarily responsible for making laws. | |
| 295174715 | House of Representatives | Lower house of Congress based on state population | |
| 295174716 | Senate | Upper house of Congress based on equal representation | |
| 295174717 | Checks and Balances | A system in which each branch of government is able to check, or restrain, the power of the others | |
| 295174718 | Expressed Powers | Powers that Congress has that are specifically listed in the Constitution. Also called "Enumerated Powers." | |
| 295174719 | Reserved Powers | Powers not specifically granted to the federal government or denied to the states belong to the states and the people | |
| 295174720 | Supreme Court | The highest federal court in the United States | |
| 295174721 | Executive Branch | The branch of government, headed by the president, that carries out the nation's laws and policies | |
| 295174722 | Legislative Branch | The branch of government made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which makes the laws | |
| 295174723 | Judicial Branch | The branch of government that interprets laws; where the Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. |