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| Articles of Confederation (1777-1789) |
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| America's first constitution, adopted in 1777, superseded by Constitution in 1789 |
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| An agreement reached by Constitutional Convention that gave each state an equal number of senators but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population |
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| Three-Fifths Compromise (1787) |
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| An agreement reached by Constitutional Convention that determined, for choosing congressional seats, that every slave counted as three-fifths of a person |
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| The division of a legislative assembly into two chambers, or houses |
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| The notion that the Constitution grants to the federal government only those powers named specifically in the text |
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| Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause) |
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| Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, which enumerates the powers of Congress and provides Congress with the authority to make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry them out |
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| The power of the courts to declare actions of the legislative and executive branches invalid or unconstitutional. The Supreme Court asserted this power in Marbury v. Madison in 1803. |
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| A clause of Article VI of the Constitution that states that all laws passed by the national government and all treaties are the supreme law of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any state or subdivision |
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| The division of governmental power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision making |
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| The system of government in which a constitution divides power between a central government and a regional government |
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| The first ten amendments to the US Constitution; they ensure certain rights and liberties to the people |
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| The mechanisms through which each branch of government is able to to participate in and influence the activities of the other branches |
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| Federalist/Antifederalists |
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| Supreme and independent political authority |
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| Powers specifically granted to the federal government in the text of the Constitution |
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| Powers derived from the necessary and proper clause (Article 1, Section 8) of the Constitution. Such powers are not specifically expressed but are implied through the expansive interpretation of delegated powers |
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| Powers, derived from the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, that are not specifically delegated to the national government or denied to the states; these powers are reserved for the states |
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| The power reserved to the government to regulate the health, safety, and morals of its citizens |
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| The authority possessed by both national and state governments, such as the power to levy taxes |
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| Full Faith and Credit Clause |
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| The provision in Article IV, Section 1, requiring that each state normally honors the public acts and judicial decisions that take place in another state |
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| Privileges and Immunities |
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| The provision in Article IV, Section 2, stating that a state cannot discriminate against someone from another state or give its own residents special privileges |
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| The power delegated by the state to a local unit of government to manage its own affairs |
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| The system of government that prevailed in the United States from 1789 to 1937, in which fundamental powers were shared between the federal and state governments, with the states exercising the most important powers |
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| Article I, Section 8, which delegate to Congress the power to "regulate commerce with foreign nations, among the several states, and among the Indian tribes." This clause was interpreted by the Supreme Court to favor national power over the economy |
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| A type of federalism existing since the New Deal era, in which grants-in-aid have been used strategically to encourage states and localities (without commanding them) to pursue nationally defined goals. Also known as intergovernmental cooperation. |
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| Categorical grants-in-aid |
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| Funds given by Congress to states and localities and that are ear-makred by law for specific categories, such as education or crime prevention |
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| A general term for funds given by Congress to state and local governments |
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| Grant programs in which state and local governments submit proposals to federal agencies and for which funding is provided on a competitive basis |
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| Grants-in-aid in which a formula is used to determine the amount of federal funds a state or local government will receive |
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| National standards or programs imposed on state and local governments by the federal government without accompanying funding or reimbursement |
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| Federal funds given to state governments to pay for goods, services, or programs, with relatively few restriction on how the funds may be spent |
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| The principle that states should oppose increases in the authority of the national government. This view was most popular before the Civil War |
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| A legal doctrine holding that states cannot be sued for violating an act of Congress |
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| The preeminent position assigned to Congress by the Constitution |
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| The condition in American government in which the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress |
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| The claim that confidential communications between the president and the president's close advisers should not be revealed without the consent of the president |
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| A court order demanding that an individual in custody be brought into court and shown the cause for detention. Habeas Corpus is guaranteed by the Constitution and can be suspended only in cases of rebellion or invasion |
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