click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Chap. 3
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Constition | A detailed, written plan for government |
| Bicameral | A legislature consisting of two parts, or houses |
| Confederation | A group of individuals or state governments |
| Ratify | To vote approval of |
| Constitutional Convention | A meeting state delegates in 1787 leading to the adoption new constitution |
| Great Compromise | An agreement that provided a dual system of congressional representation |
| Three-Fifths Compromise | An agreement that provided enslaved people would be counted as three-fifths of other people in determining representation in Congress |
| Electoral College | A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president |
| Federalists | Supporters of the Constitution |
| Federalism | A form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and states |
| Anti-Federalists | Those who oppose the ratification of the Constitution |
| Preamble | The opening section of the government |
| Legislative Branch | The lawmaking branch of the government |
| Executive Branch | The branch of the government that carries out laws |
| Judicial Branch | The branch of the government that interprets laws |
| Amendment | A change in the Constituion |
| Popular Sovereignty | The notion that power lies with the people |
| Rule of Law | Principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern |
| Separation of Powers | The split authority among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches |
| Checks and Balances | A system in which branch of government is able to check, or restrain, the power of others |
| Expressed Powers | Powers that Congress have that are specifically listed in the Constitution |
| Reserved Powers | Powers that the Constitution does not give to the national government that are kept by the states |
| Concurrent Powers | Powers shared by the state and federal governments |