U.S. Government and Constitution: Key Concepts and Historical Documents

Constitution

A supreme fundamental law document that establishes the structure, powers, and limits of a government, while securing rights for its citizens.

self-government

Control of the political affairs of a government, community, or country by its own people rather than by a king or external power.

Legislature

: An official governmental body or assembly with the constitutional authority to make, alter, and repeal laws.

Mayflower Compact

An agreement signed by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower that established the first governing framework in the American colonies based on social contract and majority rule.

Delegates

: Representatives chosen or elected to speak, vote, and act on behalf of a state, territory, or political party at a formal convention or assembly.

Proclamation of 1763

A royal British decree forbidding American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains to reduce native conflicts, infuriating land-seeking colonists.

Taxes

: Mandatory fees or financial contributions levied by a government on individuals, property, or transactions to fund public operations and services.

Sugar Act

: British tax law that enforced tariffs on imported foreign sugar and molasses, designed to raise imperial revenue and curb colonial smuggling.

Stamp Act

: The first direct internal revenue tax imposed by Parliament on the colonies, requiring a physical stamp on newspapers, legal contracts, and paper goods.

Boston Tea Party

: A political protest in Boston Harbor where colonists dumped 342 chests of British East India Company tea into the water to oppose the Tea Act and "taxation without representation."

Coercive Acts

: Known in America as the Intolerable Acts, a series of punitive laws passed by Britain to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party, closing Boston Harbor and suppressing colonial assembly rights.

Congress

: A national legislative body consisting of formal representatives or delegates.

Second Continental Congress

: The emergency assembly of colonial delegates that acted as the de facto national government during the American Revolution, issuing currency, managing armies, and signing the Declaration of Independence.

Common Sense

: A widely read pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that argued forcefully for immediate American independence from Great Britain and the establishment of a republic.

Declaration of Independence

: The foundational document adopted on July 4, 1776, announcing the 13 colonies' total separation from Great Britain based on natural rights and democratic principles.

Popular sovereignty

: The constitutional principle that governmental authority is derived entirely from the consent and political power of the governed people.

Confederation

: A loose association or league of independent states that join together for limited common purposes (like defense) while keeping individual sovereignty.

Articles of Confederation ):

America's first written constitution, which created a national government with a single-chamber legislature that lacked powers to tax, regulate commerce, or enforce national laws.

Unicameral

: A legislative body composed of a single chamber or house.

Annapolis Meeting (

: A commercial convention of 5 states in Annapolis, Maryland, that failed to reach broad agreement but formally called for the 1787 Philadelphia Convention to fix the Articles of Confederation.

Separation of Powers

: The division of executive, legislative, and judicial powers among distinct, independent branches of government to prevent concentration of power.

Federal (Federalism)

: A government structure in which power is constitutionally shared between a strong national central government and regional state governments.

Virginia Plan:

A constitutional proposal favored by larger states advocating a strong national government with a bicameral legislature whose seats were based on population.

New Jersey Plan:

A constitutional proposal favored by smaller states advocating a unicameral legislature with equal representation (one vote) per state, regardless of population.

Bicameral:

: A legislative system divided into two separate houses or chambers (such as the House of Representatives and the Senate).

Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise):

The agreement that merged the Virginia and New Jersey plans, establishing a bicameral Congress with equal representation in the Senate and population-proportional representation in the House.

3/5's Compromise:

A constitutional compromise stipulating that three-fifths of a state's enslaved population would count toward legislative representation in Congress and direct federal taxation.

Impeached:

The formal legislative process of bringing official misconduct charges against a sitting civil officer (like a President or federal judge) in order to try them for potential removal from office.

Ratify:

To give formal, legally binding approval to a constitutional document, amendment, or treaty through an official vote.

Federalists:

Early political leaders who advocated for the ratification of the 1787 U.S. Constitution and favored a strong national government.

Anti-Federalists:

Early political leaders who opposed the 1787 Constitution, fearing a centralized federal government would erode state rights and individual liberties, ultimately pushing for the inclusion of the Bill of Rights.