u4 vocab

Northwest Territory

lands northwest of the Appalachians, covered by the Land Ordinance of 1785

Articles of Confederation

plan for national government passed 1781

Confederation

a group of individuals united for a purpose

Land Ordinance of 1785

law that established a plan for dividing the federally owned lands west of the Appalachian Mountains Northwest

Ordinance

law that described how the Northwest Territory was to be governed

Commerce

the activity of buying and selling

Constitution

the set of political principles by which a place or organization is governed, or the written down document that records it

Republic

state, country or nation in which people elect representatives to govern

Constitutional Convention

1787 meeting at which the U.S. Constitution was created

Founding Fathers

people who helped create the U.S. Constitution

James Madison

prominent advisor to the Constitutional Convention

Virginia Plan

proposal for a two-house legislature with representation according to each state’s population or wealth

New Jersey Plan

proposal for a legislature in which each state would have one vote

Great Compromise

agreement to establish a two-house national legislature, with all states having equal representation in one house and each state having representation based on its population in the other house

Three-fifths compromise

agreement that three fifths of a state’s slave population would be counted for representation and taxation

Executive branch

government department that enforces laws

Judicial branch

government department that interprets laws

Legislative branch

government department that makes laws

Checks and balances

the ability of each branch of government to exercise checks, or controls, over the other branches

Bill

a proposed legislation under consideration by the legislature

Electoral College

the system that is used in the U.S. in presidential elections; the electors act as representatives for each state, and they elect the president and vice president

Veto

a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body

Impeach

to charge with a crime or misdemeanor

U.S. Supreme Court

the highest court in the federal judiciary

U.S. Congress

the bicameral (two chambers) legislature (law-making body of people) of the federal government of the United States: the House of Representatives and the Senate

Justice

a judge or magistrate, in particular a judge of the Supreme Court

Representative

a person who has been chosen to act or make decisions on behalf of another person or group of people

Ratification

act of official confirmation