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| A nation's basic law. It creates political institutions, assigns or divides power in government, and often provides certain guarantees to citizens. It can be written or unwritten. |
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| Declaration of Independence |
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| The document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence. |
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| rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property. |
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| The idea that government derives authority by sanction of the people. |
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| The idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens. |
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| Articles of Confederation |
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| The first constitution of the United States, adopted by Congress in 1777 and enacted in 1781. The Articles established a national legislature, the Continental Congress, but most authority rested with the state legislature. |
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| A series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings. |
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| The document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of U.S. government and the tasks these institutions perform. It replaced the Articles of Confederation. |
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| Interest groups arising from the unequal distribution of property or wealth that James Madison attacked in the Federalist Paper #10. |
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| The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population. |
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| The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for representation of each state in Congress in proportion to that state's share of the U.S. population. |
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| The compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention that established two houses of Congress: the House of Representatives(population) and Senate(2 per state). |
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| A court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody. |
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| A feature of the Constitution that requires each of the three branches of government to be relatively independent of the others so that one cannot control the other. |
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| Features of the Constitution that limit government's power by requiring that power be balanced among the different governmental institutions. |
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| A form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws. |
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| supporters of the U.S. constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption. |
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| Opponents of the U.S. Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption. |
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| A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the name "Publius" to defend the constitution in detail. |
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| The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, drafted in response to some of the Anti-Federalist concerns. These amendments define such basic liberties as freedom of religion, speech, and press and guarantee defendants' rights. |
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| The power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress and by implication, the executive are in accord with the U.S. Constitution. |
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