Studied by 28 people
Social contract
Some freedoms sacrificed (respecting government) in exchange for government protection
Natural rights
Described by John Locke; life, liberty, and property; must be protected by the government
Republicanism
Supports individualism and natural rights, popular sovereignty, encourages civic participation
Representative democracy
Elected officials representing a group of people
Popular sovereignty
The idea that government power derives from the consent of the governed
Participatory democracy
Broad participation in politics/society by people at various statuses
Pluralist democracy
Group-based activism by citizens with common interests who seek the same goals
Elite democracy
Power to the educated/wealthy, discourages participation by the majority of people
The Declaration of Independence (1776)
A formal declaration of war between America and Great Britain written by Thomas Jefferson, including a list of grievances
Articles of Confederation (1777)
Outlined the first US government, predecessor to the Constitution
Accomplishments of the Articles of Confederatoin
created federalism
ended the Revolutionary War on favorable terms for the United States
established the Northwest Ordinance
Federalism
The way in which federal and state/regional governments interact and share power
Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
Could not impose taxes
No national military
No national currency
No Supreme Court
No executive branch
No control over taxes imposed between states and could not control interstate trade
Needed unanimous votes to amend it and 9 states to approve legislation before it was passed
The Constitutional Convention (1787)
A meeting of the framers in Philadelphia during which the government’s structure was debated and decided
Unicameral legislature
Legislature with one house
Bicameral legislature
Legislature with two houses
Virginia Plan
Bicameral legislature based on population size; supported by larger states
New Jersey Plan
Unicameral legislature with one vote per state; supported by smaller states
The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)
Created a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives (based on population) and Senate (equal representation)
Three-Fifths Compromise
Enslaved people would be counted as 3/5 of a person when deciding seats in the House of Representatives
Federalists
Supporters of the Constitution; advocated for a strong central government
Anti-Federalists
Opponents of the Constitution; preferred smaller state governments
The Federalist Papers
Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay; a collection of articles supporting the Constitution
The Bill of Rights (1791)
Written by James Madison and supported by Anti-Federalists; the first 10 amendments of the Constitution which protects the rights of citizens from the government
Electoral College
Composed of elected officials from each state based on population (each given 2 votes + 1 vote per member of House of Representatives) with a total of 538 electors
Brutus No. 1
Argued that the national government had too much power, an army could prevent liberty, and representatives may not truly be representative of the people
Federalist No. 10 (Madison)
Addresses dangers of factions + how to protect minority interest groups in a nation ruled by majority, argues that a large republic keeps any single faction from taking control
Federalist No. 51 (Madison)
Argued that separation of powers would make the government efficient, dividing responsibilities and tasks
Federalist No. 70 (Hamilton)
Argued that the executive branch should only have one member: the president, proposed term limits as another way to limit the president’s power
Federalist No. 78 (Hamilton)
Addressed concerns about the power of the judicial branch, argued that the judicial branch would have the least amount of power under the Constitution but would also have the power of judicial review
Article I
Described the legislative branch
Article II
Described the executive branch
Executive order
Same effect as law, bypasses Congress in policy-making, not mentioned in the Constitution but used as part of the enforcement duties
Executive agreement
Similar to treaties between country leaders, bypass ratification power of the Senate
Article III
Described the judicial branch
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Supreme Court increased its own power by giving itself the power to overturn laws passed by legislature (judicial review)
Judicial review
The power of the Supreme Court to overturn laws passed by legislature which are unconstitutional
Necessary and proper clause (Article I, Section 8)
Aka the elastic clause; allows Congress to make any legislation that seems “necessary and proper” to carry through its powers
Supremacy clause
Supremacy of Constitution and federal laws over state laws
Confederation
A system in which decisions are made by an external member-state legislation; decisions on daily issues are taken by special majorities, consensus, or unanimity
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Court ruled that states could not tax national bank because of the supremacy clause (issues between state and federal laws should be ruled in favor of federal) and necessary and proper clause (banks were necessary to implement federal powers)
United States v. Lopez (1995)
Held that the Gun-Free School Zones Act was unconstitutional because the commerce clause didn't allow regulation of carrying guns
Delegated/enumerated powers
Powers that belong to the national government
Reserved powers
Powers that belong to the states
10th Amendment
Any power not given to the national government nor denied to the states in the Constitution belongs to the states
Concurrent powers
Powers shared by federal and state government
Federal government programs
Paid for by federal government through grants-in-aid, mostly administered by states
Categorical grants
Aid with strict rules from the federal government about how it should be used
Block grants
Aid that lets the state use the money how it wants
Separation of powers
Assigns different tasks to each branch of government
Legislative makes laws
Executive enforces laws
Judicial interprets laws
Checks and balances
Each branch checks the other; designed to prevent any branch of government from becoming dominant, requires different branches to work together and share power
Veto
The power of the president to reject laws
Amendment
The addition of a provision to the Constitution
Ratifying convention
Delegates elected to vote on an amendment
Main amendment process
Proposed amendment approved by 2/3 of both houses
3/4 of state legislatures must ratify the amendment
21st Amendment
Ended prohibition, used a ratifying convention
Gubernatorial veto
A governor’s veto
Line-item veto
The power to reject specific parts of a bill; denied to presidents by Supreme Court
Note 
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