American Gov.

Taxation Without Representation

The colonists' complaint that Britain was taxing them even though they had no representatives in Parliament.

Declaration of Independence

The document was adopted on July 4, 1776, declaring that the American colonies were independent from Britain.

Articles of Confederation

The first U.S. national government; it gave most power to the states and created a weak central government.

Shays' Rebellion

An armed uprising by Massachusetts farmers in 1786–1787 that showed the weakness of the Articles of Confederation.

Constitutional Convention

The 1787 meeting in Philadelphia where delegates created the U.S. Constitution.

Great Compromise

An agreement that created a two-house Congress: equal representation in the Senate and population-based representation in the House.

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement that counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person when determining representation and taxation

Separation of Powers

The division of government power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches

Checks and Balances

A system in which each branch of government can limit the power of the other branches.

Federalism

The division of power between the national government and state governments.

Natural Rights

Rights believed to belong to all people by nature, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Three Branches of Government

The legislative branch makes laws, the executive branch enforces laws, and the judicial branch interprets laws.

State government

The government that has authority over a specific state and handles matters such as education, public safety, and transportation.

Local government

Government that manages the needs of cities, counties, towns, and communities.

Bicameral

A legislature with two chambers

Unicameral

A legislature with one chamber

Gerrymandering

The practice of drawing voting district boundaries to give an unfair political advantage to a particular party or group

State courts

Courts that handle cases involving state laws

Dillon’s Rule

 The principle that local governments only have powers that are specifically granted by the state.

Home rule

The power given to local governments to govern themselves and make decisions about local matters.

Municipalities

Cities, towns, and other incorporated communities with their own local governments.

Dual federalism

 A system in which the national government has limited powers and states have broad power to govern within their territories.

Cooperative federalism

A system in which the national and state governments share responsibilities and work together, often blurring the lines between their powers.

Devolution

The process of returning power from the national government to state and local governments.

Commerce Clause

The constitutional provision giving Congress the power to regulate interstate and international commerce.

Supremacy Clause

 The principle that the U.S. Constitution, federal laws, and treaties are the highest law of the land when they conflict with state law.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Gives Congress the power to make laws needed to carry out its constitutional responsibilities; also called the Elastic Clause.

Extradition Clause

Requires a state to return a person accused of a crime to the state where the crime was committed.

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Requires states to recognize the public acts, records, and court decisions of other states

Privileges and Immunities Clause

Prevents states from unfairly discriminating against citizens of other states.

Fugitive Slave Clause

A former constitutional provision requiring escaped enslaved people to be returned to their enslavers; it was effectively eliminated by the 13th Amendment.

Interstate Compact Clause

Allows states to make agreements with one another, generally with Congressional approval.

Civil rights

Protections against unequal treatment that the government guarantees to all groups.

De jure

Discrimination or segregation that exists by law

De facto

Discrimination or segregation that exists in practice, even if it is not required by law.

Black codes

Laws passed after the Civil War that restricted the rights and freedoms of formerly enslaved Black people.

14th Amendment

Guarantees equal protection under the law and due process to all people born or naturalized in the United States.

Disenfranchisement

The denial or restriction of a person's right to vote.

Affirmative action

Policies designed to increase opportunities for groups that have historically faced discrimination, particularly in education and employment.

Representative

A person chosen to make policy decisions on behalf of a defined group of people

Constituency

The people who choose a representative to act on their behalf

Reapportionment

Allotting representation based on population after each census

Political party

Mass organization that seeks to elect candidates to public office and influence policy making