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Unit 4 Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Articles of Confederation | The first official government of the United States, written and ratified during the American Revolution |
| Articles of Confederation | US government that failed because it lacked a strong central gov't, the states were too powerful |
| Articles of Confederation | US government that only had a legislative branch and Congress could not tax |
| Northwest Ordinance | Law passed in 1787 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 the East Tennessee that applied to be the 14th state but was declined |
| Northwest Territory | North of the Ohio River Valley where slavery was banned; Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin |
| Shays 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 Virginia plan at the Constitutional Convention; took notes and explained major principles of the Constitution |
| George Washington | Elected the chairman of 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 Summer of 1787 |
| Constitution | US government that strengthened the power of the federal government while also sharing power with the states |
| Great Compromise | Agreement that established the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress |
| Bicameral | 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 vetoed |
| Legislative | Branch of gov't that writes laws |
| Executive | Branch of government that enforces the law |
| Judicial | Branch of government 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 Balances | The ability of each branch of government to control the other two; keeps any one branch from becoming too powerful |
| Great Compromise | Agreement that established the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress |
| Federalsim | Idea that the power is shared between a central government and state governments |
| First Amendment | Freedom of religion, speech, press, petition and assembly |
| Second Amendment | Right to bear arms |
| Third Amendment | Right to not house and feed US soldiers in your home |
| Fourth Amendment | Protection from unwarranted soldiers and seizures from the gov't |
| 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 | Group that wanted the Constitution to be ratified |
| Antifederalists | Group that opposed the 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 |