wassup

James Madison

Fourth U.S. President and a major contributor to the Constitution of the United States.

Compromise

To come to an agreement by giving in on some points.

Framers

Leaders who attended the Constitutional Convention and "framed" (wrote) the Constitution.

Constitutional Convention

The gathering that drafted the Constitution of the United States in 1787.

Federal system of government

A nation’s powers are divided between a central government and the governments of individual states.

Virginia Plan

A plan for establishing the legislative branch of the federal government and determining how many representatives each state would have in the legislature.

Legislative branch

The branch that makes laws.

Judicial Branch

The branch that interprets the laws and runs the court system.

Executive Branch

The branch that executes, or carries out, the laws.

Edmund Randolph

Helped to draft the Virginia bill and was an influential person in the making of the Constitution.

Delegate

A person who represents, or acts for, others at a meeting such as a convention or a conference.

William Paterson/New Jersey Plan

Delegate from New Jersey who helped to write the Constitution; this plan proposed all states have equal representation.

Roger Sherman

Delegate from Connecticut who came up with the Great Compromise.

Senate

Same number of representatives per state as in the Articles of Confederation.

House of Representatives

Each state has a different number of representatives determined by the state’s population.

Great Compromise

It resolved differences between large and small states over how representation would be determined in the legislative branch of government.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Three out of every five slaves was counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxation.

Secede

A state tries to leave the United States.

Reserved Powers

Powers that are set aside by the U.S. Constitution for the states or for the people.

Separation of powers

Refers to the separation of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government so that no one branch becomes too strong.

Checks and Balances

Term used to describe a government in which each separate branch can check, or limit, the power of the other branches.

Federalists/Anti-Federalists

Those who supported the Constitution and those who did not support the Constitution.

Federalist Papers

Explained the branches of the new government.

Bill of Rights

A written list of people’s rights.

Ratification

Formal approval, usually of an official document or treaty.