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civics
chapter 3 vocab
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| constitution | a detained, written plan for government |
| biocameral | a legislature consisting of two parts or houses |
| confederation | a group of individuals or state governments |
| Article of confederation | the first constitution of the United States |
| ratify | to vote approval of |
| ordinance | a law, usually of a city or country |
| ordinance of 1785 | a law that set up a plan for surveying western land |
| northwest ordinance | 1787 law that set up a government for the northwest territory and a plan for admitting new states to the union |
| shays's rebellion | an uprising of Massachusetts farmers who did not want to lose their farms because of debt caused by heavy state taxes after the American revoluton |
| constitution convention | agreement providing a duel system of congressional representation |
| three-fifths compromise | agreement providing that enslaved persons would count as three firths of other person in determining representation in congress |
| electoral college | a group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and Vice President |
| federalist | a supporter of the constitution |
| federalism | a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, national government, or the states |
| the federalist papers | a series of essays written to defend the constitution |
| anti-federalist | a person who opposed ratification of the constitution |
| preamble | the opening section of the constitution |
| article | on elf several main parts of the constitution |
| amendment | any changes made in the constitution |
| legislative branch | the law making branch of government |
| executive branch | the branch of government that carries out laws |
| judicial branch | the branch of government that interprets laws |
| popular sovereignty | the idea that power lied with the people |
| limited government | a government that can do only what the people allow it to do |
| rule of law | the principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern |
| separation of powers | the split of authority among the legislative, executive and judicial branch |
| checks and balances | a system in which each branch of government is able to check or restrain the powers of the others |
| enumerated powers | powers directly granted to the national government, by the constitution |
| reserved powers | powers the constitution does not give to the federal government, powers set aside for the states |
| concurrent powers | powers shared by the state and federal government |
| supremacy clause | a clause stating that the constitution and other laws and treaties made by the national government are "the supreme law of the land" |