Govt Unit 2

Limited Government

Government's power is not absolute.

Representative Government

People elect delegates to make laws.

Magna Carta

Forced King John to accept limits on royal power.

English Bill of Rights

Required monarchs to get Parliament's consent to suspend laws, levy taxes, or maintain an army.

House of Burgesses

The first elected legislative body in the colonies.

Mayflower Compact

Created a self-governing body before the colonists landed.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

The first written constitution in the English colonies.

Hobbes

Argued that humans' natural state is war and must give up freedom to an absolute ruler.

Locke

Believed people are born free and equal with natural rights.

Montesquieu

Argued for separation of powers between branches of government.

Rousseau

Claimed government's legitimacy comes from the 'general will' of the people.

Blackstone

Stated that natural law is supreme and binding on everyone.

French and Indian War

Britain wins but goes deep into debt and keeps a standing army in the colonies.

Stamp Act

First direct tax requiring a stamp on legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards.

Townshend Acts

New taxes on glass, paper, and tea.

Tea Act

Led to the Boston Tea Party where colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor.

Intolerable Acts

Britain's punishment for Boston, closing the harbor and revoking Massachusetts charter.

First Continental Congress

Delegates from every colony but Georgia met to respond to the Intolerable Acts.

Second Continental Congress

Organized the Continental Army and named George Washington commander.

Declaration of Independence

Adopted on July 4, 1776, outlining the purpose, rights, grievances, and separation.

Articles of Confederation

The first national government and the first written constitution of the United States.

Unicameral Congress

One Branch, One Vote; no president and no national court system.

Treaty of Paris

Formally ended the Revolutionary War and recognized American independence.

Land Ordinance of 1785

Organized survey and sale of western lands into townships.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Set steps for territories to become states and banned slavery in the Northwest Territory.

War Debt

The nation owed $40 million, and Congress could only ask states for money.

Shays's Rebellion

A rebellion led by Massachusetts farmers facing foreclosure, debt, and unfair taxes, which highlighted the weaknesses of the Confederation government.

Constitutional Convention

A meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 where delegates abandoned the Articles of Confederation and wrote a new plan for government.

Virginia Plan

A proposal for a bicameral legislature with representation based on state population, favoring large states.

Connecticut Compromise

Adopted plan that created a bicameral legislature with the House based on population and the Senate with equal representation.

New Jersey Plan

A proposal for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state, favoring small states.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Agreement to count three-fifths of a state's enslaved population for representation and taxation.

Commerce & Slave Trade Compromise

Congress could regulate commerce but could not tax exports or ban the slave trade for 20 years.

Preamble

Introduction to the Constitution stating its purpose and six goals.

Articles of the Constitution

The seven sections that outline the basic structure and rules of government.

Amendments

Changes made to the Constitution; there are 27 total, with the first 10 being the Bill of Rights.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the people hold ultimate power and the government is accountable to them.

Republicanism

The principle that representatives are elected to govern on behalf of the people.

Federalism

The division of power between national and state governments.

Separation of Powers

The division of government into three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.

Checks and Balances

A system that prevents any one branch of government from becoming too powerful.

Ratification

The formal approval of a legal document or treaty, requiring 9 of 13 states to ratify the Constitution.

Federalists

Supporters of a strong central government and ratification of the Constitution.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of a strong central government who feared it would lead to a monarchy.

The Federalist Papers

A series of 85 essays written to support ratification of the Constitution, authored by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1791, guaranteeing personal freedoms and limiting government power.