Question | Answer |
a detailed, written plan for government | Constitution |
a legislature consisting of two parts, or houses | Bicameral |
a group of individuals or state governments | Confederation |
to vote approval of | Ratify |
meeting of state delegates in 1787 leading to adoption of new constitution | Constitutional Convention |
agreement providing a dual system of congressional representation | Great Compromise |
agreement provididng that enslaved persons would count as three-fifths of other persons in determining representation in congress | Three-Fifths Compromise |
a group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president | Electoral College |
supporters of the constitution | Federalists |
a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and the states | Federalism |
those who opposed ratification of the constitution | Anti-Federalists |
the opening section of the constitution | Preamble |
the lawmaking branch of government | Legislative Branch |
the branch of government that carries out laws | Executive Branch |
the branch of government that interprets laws | Judicial Branch |
any change in the constitution | Amendment |
the notion that power lies with the people | Popular Sovereignty |
principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern | Rule of Law |
the split of authority among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. | Seperation of Powers |
a system in which each branch of government is able to check, or restrain, the power of others | Checks and Balances |
powers that congress has that are specifically listed in the constitution. | Expressed Powers |
powers that the constitution does not give to the national government that are kept by the states. | Reserved Powers |
powers shared by the state and federal governments | Concurrent Powers |