Required Documents

Declaration of Independence

Document declaring independence from Britain, authored primarily by Thomas Jefferson, and authorized by the Second Continental Congress.

Articles of Confederation

First government of the United States, characterized by a weak central government and strong state powers.

Thomas Jefferson

Identified as the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness

Natural rights as defined in the Declaration of Independence. Government's job to protect them.

Consent of the Governed

The idea that government legitimacy comes from the consent of the governed.

Limited Government

A system where the government's power is limited to protect individual liberties.

Confederal Government

Government where the national government is weaker than the states; states retain considerable autonomy.

US Constitution

The U.S. government structure established to provide checks and balances between branches.

Federalist Papers

Essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay to support the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Federalist No. 10

Argued that factions are inevitable but manageable in a large republic.

Brutus 1

Anti-Federalist paper arguing against the Constitution's strong central government.

Pluralism

The idea that many factions competing for influence leads to the best ideas being enacted.

Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause)

Clause in the Constitution that grants Congress the power to make all laws "necessary and proper" for carrying out its enumerated powers.

Supremacy Clause

Constitutional doctrine stating that federal law is supreme to state law.

Federalist No. 51

Federalist Paper arguing for divided powers between three branches of government and between national and state governments.

Checks and Balances

Each branch of government has some control over the others; the government must be powerful enough to control the people, but also control itself.

Federalist No. 70

Federalist Paper arguing for a single, "energetic" executive (president).

Energetic Executive

Energy in the executive is the leading character in the definition of good government.

Cabinet

A body of advisors to the President rather than a plural executive.

Federalist No. 78

Federalist Paper arguing for an independent judiciary with the power of judicial review.

Judicial Branch

"The least dangerous branch" because it cannot enforce its decisions.

Judicial Review

The power of the judiciary to determine whether acts of Congress are constitutional.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

A letter written by MLK arguing for the urgency of justice and equality.

Justice delayed is justice denied

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Nonviolent Direct Action

Countered the claim that civil rights protesters were agitating, they were merely pointing out tensions that already existed.