Ratification of the U.S. constitution

Amendment

A change to the United States Constitution

Great Compromise

Also known as the Connecticut Compromise, a major compromise at the Constitutional Convention that created a two-house legislature, with the Senate having equal representation for all states and the HOR having representation proportional to state populations.

Electoral College

The system the U.S. uses to choose the president. Instead of voters directly electing the president, each state gets a certain number of electoral votes based on its representation in Congress. In most states, the candidate who wins the popular vote in that state gets all of that state’s electoral votes. To win the presidency, a candidate needs 270 out of 538 electoral votes.

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement added to the Constitution that would count each enslaved person as three-fifths of a white person for purposes of representation in the HOR.

Article I - Legislative Branch

The section of the Constitution that creates the legislative branch, establishes Congress, and lists many of its powers, including making laws, taxing, spending, and regulating commerce.

Article II

The section of the Constitution that creates the executive branch and explains the powers of the president, including enforced laws, serving as commanderin chief, and appointing officials and judges.

Article III

The section of the Constitution that creates the judicial branch, establishes the SCOTUS, and gives the federal courts the power to interpret laws and decide cases under the Constitution.

Article V

The section of the Constitution that details how to amend the Constittuion, either through a congressional proposal or a convention of the states, with final ratification from three-fourths of the states.

Article VI

The section of the Constitution that contains the supremacy clause, establishing that the Constitution and federal laws are the supreme law of the land over state laws.