American government

What important power did the national government lack under the Articles of Confederation?

It could not impose taxes

How did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention resolve their disagreement regarding slavery?

It was agreed that 60 percent of a state’s enslaved population would be counted for purposes of both representation and taxation.

How many states must ratify an amendment before it becomes law?

Three- fourths

Why were The Federalist Papers written?

To encourage New York to ratify the Constitution

What did the 14th Amendment achieve?

Citizenship to African Americans

The agreement that citizens will consent to be governed so long as government protects their natural rights is called _____.

the social contract

What is the Bill of Rights?

first ten amendments to the Constitution that protect individual freedoms

British colonists in North America in the late seventeenth century were greatly influenced by the political thought of ________.

John Locke

Separation of powers refers to the process of dividing government into different branches and giving different responsibilities and powers to each branch.

True

Many opposed ratification of the Constitution because they thought it made the federal government too powerful, and they feared it might become tyrannical and deprive them of their rights.

True

Common goods

Goods that all people may use but that are of limited supply

Democracy

A form of government where political power rests in the hands of the people

Direct democracy

A form of government where people participate directly in making government decisions instead of choosing representatives to do this for them

Elite theory

Claims political power rests in the hands of a small, elite group of people

Government

The means by which a society organizes itself and allocates authority in order to accomplish collective goals

Ideology

The beliefs and ideals that help to shape political opinion and eventually policy

Intense preferences

Beliefs and preferences based on strong feelings regarding an issue that someone adheres to over time

Latent preferences

Beliefs and preferences people are not deeply committed to and that change over time

Majority rule

A fundamental principle of democracy; the majority should have the power to make decisions binding upon the whole

Minority rights

Protections for those who are not part of the majority

Monarchy

A form of government where one ruler, usually a hereditary one, holds political power

Oligarchy

A form of government where a handful of elite society members hold political power

Partisanship

Strong support, or even blind allegiance, for a particular political party

Pluralist theory

Claims political power rests in the hands of groups of people

Political power

Influence over a government’s institutions, leadership, or policies

Politics

The process by which we decide how resources will be allocated and which policies government will pursue

Private goods

Goods provided by private businesses that can be used only by those who pay for them

Public goods

Goods provided by government that anyone can use and that are available to all without charge

Representative democracy

A form of government where voters elect representatives to make decisions and pass laws on behalf of all the people instead of allowing people to vote directly on laws

Social capital

Connections with others and the willingness to interact and aid them

Toll goods

A good that is available to many people but is used only by those who can pay the price to do so

Totalitarianism

A form of government where government is all-powerful and citizens have no rights

Natural rights

God-given rights to life, liberty, and property.

How many of the states had to approve the Articles of Confederation for it to be approved?

All 13 states

What state was the last one to agree to the Article of Confederation?

Maryland

Where was shay’s rebellion?

Massachusetts

Anti-Federalists

Those who did not support ratification of the Constitution

Articles of Confederation

The first basis for the new nation’s government; adopted in 1781; created an alliance of sovereign states held together by a weak central government

Bicameral legislature

A legislature with two houses, such as the U.S. Congress

Checks and balances

A system that allows one branch of government to limit the exercise of power by another branch; requires the different parts of government to work together

Confederation

A highly decentralized form of government; sovereign states form a union for purposes such as mutual defense

Declaration of Independence

A document written in 1776 in which the American colonists proclaimed their independence from Great Britain and listed their grievances against the British king

Enumerated powers

The powers given explicitly to the federal government by the Constitution (Article I, Section 8); power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and support armies, declare war, coin money, and conduct foreign affairs

Federal system

A form of government in which power is divided between state governments and a national government

Federalists

Those who supported ratification of the Constitution

Great Compromise

A compromise between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan that created a two-house Congress; representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation of states in the Senate

New Jersey Plan

A plan that called for a one-house national legislature; each state would receive one vote

Republic

A form of government in which political power rests in the hands of the people, not a monarch, and is exercised by elected representatives

Reserved powers

Any powers not prohibited by the Constitution or delegated to the national government; powers reserved to the states and denied to the federal government

Separation of powers

The sharing of powers among three separate branches of government

Supremacy clause

The statement in Article VI of the Constitution that federal law is superior to laws passed by state legislatures

The Federalist Papers

A collection of eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of ratification of the Constitution

Three-Fifths Compromise

A compromise between northern and southern states that called for counting of all a state’s free population and 60 percent of its enslaved population for both federal taxation and representation in Congress

Unicameral legislature

A legislature with only one house, like the Confederation Congress or the legislature proposed by the New Jersey Plan

Veto

The power of the president to reject a law proposed by Congress

Virginia Plan

A plan for a two-house legislature; representatives would be elected to the lower house based on each state’s population; representatives for the upper house would be chosen by the lower house