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Unit 4 Vocab
Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Articles of Confederation | The first official government of the United States, written and ratified during the American Revolution |
| Articles of Confederation | U.S. government that failed because it lacked a strong central government, the states were too powerful |
| Articles of Confederation | U.S. government that only had a legislative branch and Congress could not tax |
| Northwest Ordinance | Law passed in 1778 that determined how a territory could become a state, also banned slavery in the Northwest Territory |
| Land Ordinance | Law that organized land in the Northwest Territory and auctioned off land to pay for the national debt |
| State of Franklin | Lost state located in East Tennessee that applied to be the 14th state but was denied |
| Northwest Territory | North of the Ohio River Valley where slavery was banned; Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin would be there |
| Shay's Rebellion | Revolt of farmers in Massachusetts over unfair taxes; showed that the Articles of Confederation could not keep law and order |
| James Madison | Father of the Constitution; presented the Virginia Plan at the Constitutional Convention; took notes and explained major principle of the Constitution |
| George Washington | Elected the chairman of the the Constitutional Convention |
| George Washington | Unanimously elected first president, only served two terms, set examples for future presidents to follow |
| Constitutional Convention | Meeting of 55 delegates to revise the Articles of Confederation but drafted the Constitution in the Summer of 1787 |
| Constitution | U.S. government that strengthened the power of the federal government while also sharing power with the states |
| Great Comprimise | agreement made over how larger and smaller states would be represented at the Constitutional Convention |
| Great Comprimise | Agreement that established the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress |
| Bicameral | A word that means a "two house" legislature |
| Three-Fifths Compromise | Agreement at the Constitutional Convention over how the southern states would count slaves for representation in Congress |
| Preamble | The opening paragraph of the Constitution, states the purpose of the Constitution |
| Preamble | Begins with the phrase "We the People" |
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments to the Constitution |
| Bill of Rights | Part of the Constitution that protects individual rights and liberties |
| Separation of Powers | Idea that the powers of government are divided among three branches - legislative, executive and judicial |
| Veto | The ability of the president to reject a bill passed by Congress |
| Override | The ability of Congress to pass a bill that the president has vetoed |
| Legislative | Branch of government that writes the laws |
| Executive | Branch of government that enforces the laws |
| Judicial | Branch of governmet that applies or interprets the laws |
| Senate | Upper house of Congress where each state has an equal number of representatives |
| House of Representatives | Lower house of Congress where the number of representatives per state is based on that state's population |
| Checks and Blalnces | The ability of each branch of government to control the other two; keeps any one branch from becoming too powerful |
| Federalism | Idea that power is shared between a central government and state governments |
| First Amendment | The freedom of religion, speech, press, petition, and assembly |
| Second Amendment | The right to bear arms |
| Third Amendment | The right to not house and feed U.S. soldiers in your home |
| Fourth Amendment | Protection from unwarranted searches and seizures from the government |
| Tenth Amendment | Says that powers not given to the federal government are reserved to the states |
| Ratification | The process of approving a Constitution or amendment |
| Federalists | A group that wanted the Constitution to be ratified |
| Antifederalists | Group that opposed ratification of the Constitution |
| Antifederalists | Group that feared the Constitution would turn into a monarchy |
| Antifederalists | Their biggest contribution to American history is that they demanded a bill of rights to the Constitution |
| Federalist Papers | Series of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to convince Americans to ratify the Constitution |