POLS - Ch 02 - The Constitution-Vocabulary Flashcards

Gateway to Democracy
Chapter 2

635380164	Federalist Papers	Series of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay arguing for the ratification of the Constitution; today a leading source for understanding the Constitution.
635380165	Federalist 51	Written by James Madison, discusses the needs for checks and balances in government.
635380166	amendment	Formal process of changing the Constitution.
635380167	Antifederalists	Those who opposed the newly proposed Constitution during the ratification period.
635380168	Articles of Confederation	Initial governing authority of the United States, 1781-88.
635380169	bicameral	Two-chamber legislature, as the House and the Senate.
635380170	Bill of Rights	First ten amendments to the Constitution, which provide basic political rights.
635380171	Boston Tea Party	Protest in which colonists dressed as Indians boarded vessels in Boston Harbor and threw chests of tea overboard to express anger at Britain's tax policies and commercial regulations.
635380172	checks and balances	Government structure that authorizes each branch of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) to share powers with the other branches, thereby holding some scrutiny of and control over the other branches.
635380173	Connecticut Compromise	Compromise on legislative representation whereby the lower chamber is based on population and the upper chamber provides equal representation of the states.
635380174	constitution	Document or set of documents that sets forth the basic rules and procedures for how a society shall be governed.
635380175	Constitutional Convention	Meeting by twelve states to revise the Articles of Confederation; ended up proposing an entirely new Constitution.
635380176	Continental Congress	Initial governing authority over the Revolutionary War and other common affairs of the thirteen independent states.
635380177	Declaration of Independence	Document declaring American independence from Great Britain and calling for equality, human rights, and public participation.
635380178	divided government	Situation when one party controls the executive branch and the other party controls the legislative branch.
635380179	Electoral College	The presidential electors, selected to represent the votes of their respective states, who meet every four years to cast the electoral votes for president and vice president.
635380180	enumerated powers	Powers of Congress listed in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, such as regulating commerce and coining money.
635380181	federalism	System of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between national and state governments.
635380182	Federalists	Initially, those who supported the Constitution during the ratification period; later, the name of the political party established by supporters of Alexander Hamilton.
635380183	general welfare clause	Gives Congress the power to tax to provide for the general welfare.
635380184	impeach	Authority of the House of Representatives to bring charges against the president and other federal officials.
635380185	implied powers	Powers not explicitly granted to Congress but added through the necessary and proper clause.
635380186	judicial review	Authority of courts to declare laws passed by Congress and acts of the executive branch to be unconstitutional.
635380187	necessary and proper clause	Gives Congress the power to pass all laws necessary and proper to the powers enumerated in Section 8.
635380188	New Jersey Plan	Counterproposal to the Virginia Plan, aimed to strengthen the Articles of Confederation but leave the basic workings of the Articles intact.
635380189	override	Congress's power to overturn to presidential veto with a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
635380190	political parties	Broad coalitions of individuals who organize to win elections in order to enact a commonly supported set of public policies.
635380191	proportional representation	System of legislative districting in which larger states receive more representatives than smaller states.
635380192	separation of powers	Government structure in which authority is divided among branches (executive, legislative, and judicial), with each holding separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility.
635380193	Shays's Rebellion	Revolt by Massachusetts farmers against heavy debts; helped convince states that neither the state nor federal governments were functioning properly.
635380194	three-fifths compromise	Compromise over slavery at the Constitutional Convention that granted states extra representation in the House of Representatives based on their number of slaves at the ratio of three-fifths.
635380195	veto	Authority of the president to block legislation passed by Congress. Congress can override vetoes by two-thirds majority in each chamber.
635380196	Virginia Plan	Madison's proposal at the Constitutional Convention to radically strengthen the national government.
635380197	write of habeas corpus	Right of individuals who have been arrested and jailed to go before a judge who determines if their imprisonment is legal.