Chapter 2 The Constitution Vocabulary Terms PDF

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Chapter 2: The Constitution Vocabulary Terms Anti-Federalists Opponents of the Constitution during the fight over ratification; the political orientation of people like Patrick Henry Articles of Confederation The first constitution of the United States, adopted during the last stages of the Revolutionary War, created a system of government with most power lodged in the states and little in the central government Bill of Rights The first ten amendments to the US Constitution, concerned with the protection of basic liberties Checks and balances The constitutional principle that each of the separate branches of government has the power to hinder the unilateral actions of the other branches as a way to restrain an overreaching government and prevent tyranny Confederation A loose association of states or territorial unites in which very little or no power is lodged in a central government Connecticut Compromise Also called the Great Compromise; the compromise between the New Jersey and Virginia plans formulated by the Connecticut delegates at the Constitutional Convention; called for a lower legislative house based on population size and an upper house based on equal representation of the states Constitution The basic framework of law for a nation that prescribes how government is to be organized, how government decisions are to be made, and what powers and responsibilities government shall have Elastic clause Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, also called the necessary and proper clause; gives Congress and the authority to make weather laws are necessary and proper to carry out its enumerated responsibilities Electoral College Representatives selected in each of the states, their numbers based on each state’s total number of

its senators and representatives; a majority of Electoral College votes elects the president Federalism A system in which significant governmental powers are divided between a central government and smaller territorial units, such as states Free enterprise An economic system characterized by competitive markets and private ownership of a society’s productive assets; a form of capitalism Federalists Proponents of the Constitution during the ratification fight; later, aso the political party of Hamilton, Washington, and Adams Judicial review The power of the Supreme Court to declare actions of the other branches and levels of government unconstitutional New Jersey Plan Proposal of the smaller states at the Constitutional Convention to create a government with slightly more power in a central government than under the Articles, with the states equally represented in a unicameral national legislature Property rights The freedom to use, accumulate, and dispose of a valuable asset subject to rules established by government Republicanism A political doctrine advocating limited government based on popular consent, protected against majority tyranny Separation of powers The distribution of government legislative, executive, and judicial powers to separate branches of government Signing statement A document sometimes issued by the president in connection with the signing of a bill from Congress that sets out the president’s understanding of the new law and how executive branch officials should carry it out Social contract

The idea that government is the result of an agreement among people to form one, and that people have the right to create an entirely new government if the perms of the contract have been violated by the existing one Supremacy clause The provision in Article VI of the Constitution that states that the Constitution and the laws and treaties of the United States are the supreme law of the land, taking precedence over state laws and constitutions when they are in conflict Tyranny The abuse of the inalienable rights of citizens by government Virginia Plan Proposal by the large states at the Constitutional Convention to create a strong central government with power in the government apportioned to the states on the basis of population...