civics unit 2 terms

magna carta

Great Charter forced upon King John of England by his barons in 1215; established that the power of the monarchy was not absolute and guaranteed due process of law to the nobility

Petition of Right

document prepared by Parliament and signed by King Charles I of England in 1628; challenged the idea of the divine right of kings and declared that even the monarch was subject to the laws of the land

English Bill of Rights

Document written by Parliament and agreed to by William and Mary of England in 1689, designed to prevent abuse of power by English monarchs; forms the basis for much in American government and politics today

Popular Sovereignty

a government that exists only with the consent of the governed

Limited Government

basic principle of American government, which states that government is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has rights that government cannot take away

Civil Rights

term used for positive acts of government that seek to make constitutional guarantees a reality for all people, e.g., prohibitions of discrimination

Civil Liberties

guarantees of the safety of persons, opinions, and property from the arbitrary acts of government, including freedom of speech and freedom of religion

Articles of Confederation

plan of government adopted by the Continental Congress after the American Revolution; established "a firm league of friendship" among the States but allowed few important powers to the Federal Government

Shay’s Rebellion

a series of confrontations between debtor farmers and State government authorities in western Massachusetts in 1786–1787

Virginia Plan

plan presented by the delegates from Virginia at the Constitutional Convention; called for a three-branch government with a bicameral legislature in which each State's membership would be determined by its population or its financial support for the Federal Government

New Jersey Plan

plan that was presented as an alternative to the Virginia Plan at the Constitutional Convention; called for a unicameral legislature in which each State would be equally represented

Connecticut Compromise

an agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention that Congress should be composed of a Senate, in which each State would be represented equally, and a House, in which each State would be represented based on the State's population

Federalists

those persons who supported the ratification of the Constitution in 1787–1788

Anti-Federalists

those persons who opposed the ratification of the Constitution in 1787–1788

Bill of Rights

the first ten amendments to the Constitution