Constitutional Foundations and Debates

These flashcards summarize key vocabulary and concepts related to the U.S. Constitution and its foundational debates, useful for exam preparation.

Unalienable

A human right based on nature or God.

Articles of Confederation

A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War.

Constitutional Convention

A meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution.

Shays’s Rebellion

A 1787 rebellion in which ex-Revolutionary War soldiers attempted to prevent farm foreclosures due to high interest rates and taxes.

Virginia Plan

Proposal to create a strong national government.

New Jersey Plan

Proposal to create a weak national government.

Great Compromise

Plan for a popularly elected House based on state population and a state-selected Senate with two members for each state.

Republic

A government in which elected representatives make decisions.

Judicial Review

The power of courts to declare laws unconstitutional.

Federalism

Government authority shared by national and local governments.

Enumerated Powers

Powers given to the national government alone.

Reserved Powers

Powers given to the state governments alone.

Concurrent Powers

Powers shared by the national and state governments.

Separation of Powers

The division of power among different branches of government.

Checks and Balances

The system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches.

Faction

A group with a distinct political interest.

Federalists

Those who favor a stronger national government.

Antifederalists

Those who favor a weaker national government.

Coalition

An alliance of groups.

Habeas Corpus

An order to produce an arrested person before a judge.

Bill of Attainder

A law that declares a person guilty of a crime without a trial.

Ex Post Facto Law

A law that makes an act criminal even though it was legal when it was committed.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution.

Line-Item Veto

An executive's ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature.