Constitutional Convention & Electoral College
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Antifederalist
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person who opposed the ratification of the US Constitution
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Articles of Confederation
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document, adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777 and approved by the states in 1781, that outlined the first form of government for the USA
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Bill of Rights
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1st 10 Amendments to the Constitution, added in 1791; it's a formal list of citizens' rights and freedoms
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cabinet
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a group of department heads who serve as the President's chief advisors
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checks and balances
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the ability of each branch of the government to exercise checks, or controls, over the other branches
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civil disobedience
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peacefully refusing to obey laws one considers unjust
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boycott
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a refusal to buy certain goods
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civil rights
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rights granted to all citizens
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Constitutional Convention
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a meeting held in 1787 to consider changes to the Articles of Confederation; resulted in the drafting of the Constitution
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elector
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a voter in the Electoral College; 270 of 538 votes are needed for a candidate to win the presidency
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federalism
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a system of government where power is shared among the central (or federal) government and the states
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Federalist
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person who supported the ratification of the US Constitution
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Federalist Papers
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a series of essays defending and explaining the Constitution
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Great Compromise
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the Constitutional Convention's agreement to establish a 2-house national legislature (Congress) with all states having equal representation in one house (the Senate) and each state having representation based on its population in the other house (the House of Representatives)
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Connecticut Compromise
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the other name for the Great Compromise because it was conceived by Sherman from Connecticut
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individual right
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a personal liberty and privilege guaranteed to US citizens by the Bill of Rights
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judicial review
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the principle that says the Supreme Court has the final say in interpreting the Constitution
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limited government
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a principle that requires all US citizens, including government leaders, to obey the law
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Parliament
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England's chief law-making body
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Congress
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the USA's chief law-making body
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separation of powers
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the division of basic government roles into branches; in the USA there are 3 branches: legislative, executive, and judicial
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Shays's Rebellion
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an uprising of debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers in 1787; the federal government had a difficult time stopping the rebellion because of their weakness under the Articles of Confederation; led to the Constitutional Convention and the Constitution
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3/5 Compromise
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Ahe Constitutional Convention's agreement to count 3/5 of a station's enslaved persons as population for the purposes of taxation and representation in Congress
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unconstitutional
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Aomething that contradicts the law of the Constitution
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Electoral College
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A group of people representing the states of the U.S., who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president. The winning candidate must receive at least 270 out of 538 electoral college votes to win the presidency.
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James Madison
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"Father" of the Constitution; wrote the document that was the model for the Constitution
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Rhode Island
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this state's delegates didn't participate in the Constitutional Convention
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Virginia Plan
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Plan proposed by the state of Virginia for a two-house legislature with representation based on population; this plan favored large states
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New Jersey Plan
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Plan proposed by the state of New Jersey for a one-house legislature where every state received just one vote; this plan favored small states; this plan was just like the system under the Articles of Confederation
