Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
APGovCh2Terms
Chapter Two terms for AP Gov/Politics
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Amendment (Constitutional) | A change in, or addition to, a constitution. Amendments are proposed by a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress or by a convention called by Congress at the request of 2/3 of states, where 3/4 of states must approve and ratify. |
| Antifederalists | Opponents to the ratification of the Constitution who valued liberty above all else and believed it could be protected only in a small republic. They emphasized states' rights and worried that the new central government was too strong. |
| Articles of Confederation | The document establishing a "league of friendship" among the American states in 1781. The government proved too weak to rule effectively and was replaced by the current Constitution. |
| Beard, Charles | A historian who argued that the Constitution was designed to protect te economic self-interest of its framers. His view is largely rejected by contemporary scholars. |
| Bill of Attainder | A law that declares a person to be guilty without a trial. |
| Bill of Rights | The first 10 amendments of the US Constitution, containing a list of individual rights and liberties. |
| Checks and Balances | The power of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to block some acts by the other two branches. |
| Coalition | Part of James Madison's theory that different interests must come together to form an alliance in order for a republic government to work. |
| Constitutional Convention | A meeting of delegates in 1878 to revise the Articles of Confederation, which produced a completely new constitution that we still use today. |
| Ex Post Facto Law | A law which makes someone a criminal for committing an act that was legal at the time. |
| Faction | A term employed by James Madison that refers to interests that exist in society, such as farmers and merchants, northerners and southerners, debtors and creditors. |
| Federalism | A political system in which ultimate authority is shared between a central government and state or regional governments. |
| Federalist No. 10 | An essay composed by James Madison which argues that liberty is safest in a large republic because many interests (factions) exist. |
| Federalist Papers | A series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay that were published in the New York newspapers to convince the New York citizens to adopt the newly proposed Constitution. |
| Federalists | A term used to describe supporters of the Constitution during ratification debates in state legislatures. |
| Great Compromise | The agreement that prevented the collapse of the Constitutional Convention because of friction betwen large and small states. It created the bicameral legislature we have today. |
| Judicial Review | The power of courts to declare an act of Congress unconstitutional. It is also a way of limiting the power of popular majorities. |
| Line Item Veto | The power of an executive to veto some provisions in a bill while approving others. |
| Natural Rights | A philosophical belief expressed in the Declaration of Independence that certain rights are ordained by God, are discoverable in nature and history, and are essential to human progress. |
| New Jersey Plan | A plan of government proposed by William Peterson as a substitute for the Virginia Plan in an effort to provide greater protection for the interests of small states. |
| Republic | The form of government intended by the Framers that operates through a system of representation. |
| Separation of Powers | An element of the Constitution in which political power is shared among the branches of government to allow self-interest to check self-interest. |
| Shay's Rebellion | A rebellion in 1787 by ex-Revolutionary War soldiers who feared losing their property over debt. This showed the weakness of government under the Articles and called for a revision. |
| Unalienable Rights | Rights thought to be based on nature and providence rather than on the preferences of people. |
| Virginia Plan | A plan submitted to the Constitutional Convention that proposed a new form of government, not a revision of the Articles. This plan embodied a much stronger national government structured around three branches. |
| Writ of Habeas Corpus | Latin for "You May Have the Body." A court order directing a police officer, sheriff, or warden who has a person in custody to bring the prisoner before a judge to show sufficient cause for his or her detention. |
Created by:
onekasaur
Popular American Government sets