Government Chapter 2: The Constitution

Declaration of Independence

The 1776 document that announced the separation of the 13 North America British colonies from Great Britain.

Social Contract

The philosophical idea that people implicitly or explicitly agree to give up some of their freedoms to a governing authority (the government) in exchange for the protection of their remaining rights and the maintenance of social order.

Natural rights

Fundamental, inherent rights that individuals possess by virtue of being human, and which are not dependent on laws or governments. These rights include life, liberty, and property (or the pursuit of happiness), and they cannot be granted or taken away by any government or societal structure.

Consent of the governed

A government's legitimacy and authority come from the people it governs, not from divine right or force.

Limited government

A principle of constitutional government where the government's powers are restricted by law, often through a written constitution, to prevent tyranny and protect individual rights.

Articles of Confederation

America's first constitution, establishing a weak central government and a "league of friendship" between sovereign states that retained most powers.

Shay’s Rebellion

An armed uprising by Massachusetts farmers protesting economic hardship and unfair state policies under the Articles of Confederation. It highlighted the national government's inability to respond to domestic unrest and economic crises, thus exposing the weaknesses of the Articles. This event was a critical factor that accelerated calls for a stronger federal government, culminating in the Constitutional Convention and the creation of the U.S. Constitution.

U.S Constitution

The supreme law of the United States, a foundational document that establishes the framework of the federal government, defines its powers and limitations, and protects individual rights through amendments.

Factions

Groups of individuals within a larger political entity who share a common interest or goal that is distinct from other groups. They can influence policy decisions and political outcomes, often leading to conflict and competition for power and resources.

New Jersey Plan

A proposal for the structure of the United States government presented at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, advocating for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state.

Virginia Plan

A proposal presented at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 that served as the foundation for the final U.S. Constitution. It outlined a new system of government with a strong national legislature, executive, and judiciary, and proposed representation based on population.

Conneticut Compromise/ Great Compromise

A pivotal agreement during the Constitutional Convention that created a bicameral legislature (a two-house Congress) with two distinct forms of representation. It resolved the conflict between large states favoring proportional representation and small states preferring equal representation by establishing the House of Representatives with representation based on a state's population and the Senate with equal representation for all states. 

Writ of habeas corpus

A judicial order forcing law enforcement authorities to produce a prisoner they are holding, and to justify the prisoner's continued confinement.

Bill of Attainder

A legislative act that declares a specific person or group guilty of a crime and imposes punishment without the benefit of a judicial trial.

Seperation of Powers

The principle under the Constitution that divides governmental power among three distinct branches—the legislative, executive, and judicial—to prevent any single branch from becoming too powerful and to establish a system of checks and balances.

Checks and Balances

The constitutional system where each of the three branches of government—legislative (Congress), executive (President), and judicial (Courts)—possesses specific powers that allow it to limit or influence the actions of the other two branches, preventing any single branch from becoming too powerful.

Republic

A form of government in which power resides in elected individuals who represent the citizen body and make decisions on behalf of the public

Federalists

Supporters of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution who advocated for a strong, centralized national government with significant powers.

Anti-Federalists

Individuals who opposed the ratification of the 1787 U.S. Constitution, advocating instead for a weaker central government and stronger state governments.

Brutus #1

A foundational Anti-Federalist essay arguing against the ratification of the proposed U.S. Constitution, warning that its broad powers would consolidate authority in a vast, uncontrollable central government, leading to the destruction of state governments and the erosion of individual liberties.

Federalist Papers

A collection of 85 essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay to persuade New York citizens to ratify the new U.S. Constitution, arguing for a strong national government with a system of separation of powers and checks and balances to prevent tyranny and safeguard individual liberties.

Federalist #10

A 1787 essay by James Madison that argues a large, diverse republic, as established by the Constitution, is the best way to control the harmful effects of factions—groups united by interests adverse to the rights of others or the community's well-being.

Federalist #51

A document by James Madison arguing that the separation of powers and checks and balances are essential to prevent tyranny and protect individual liberties.

Bill of rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, added in 1791 to protect individual liberties and limit the power of the federal government. These amendments guarantee fundamental rights and freedoms.

Marbury v. Madison

The landmark Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review, the power of the Court to declare laws passed by Congress (or other government actions) unconstitutional if they conflict with the U.S. Constitution.

Judicial review

The power of the U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal courts to declare acts of the legislative branch (laws) or the executive branch (executive orders) unconstitutional and therefore void, if they conflict with the Constitution.