United States Government: The American Revolution and Constitution Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering the American Revolution, Articles of Confederation, Constitutional Convention, and the Articles of the United States Constitution based on lecture review notes.

Preamble (Declaration of Independence)

The first section of the Declaration of Independence, which explains that the U.S. is breaking away from Britain and the reasonings behind it.

Declaration of Human Rights

The second section of the Declaration of Independence, which explains how the British king was not providing natural rights.

List of Grievances

The third section of the Declaration of Independence, containing complaints that list the king's actions that were bad or unhelpful.

Redress

The fourth section of the Declaration of Independence, explaining how Thomas Jefferson repeated complaints regarding the king's tyranny and unhelpful acts, which only made things worse.

Thomas Jefferson

The primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

Popular Sovereignty

The constitutional principle introduced by 'We the people,' establishing that the power of government comes from citizens rather than a king or the states.

Domestic

A term defined in the lecture as 'within our country.'

Articles of Confederation

The first governmental framework of the U.S.; it created a weak government where states had all the power, lacked executive and judicial branches, gave each state one vote, and required all $13$ states to agree to make changes.

Shays' Rebellion

A series of violent attacks on courthouses in Massachusetts between $1786$ and $1787$ by unpaid former Revolutionary War soldiers turned farmers, demonstrating the need for an executive branch to ensure domestic tranquility.

Implied Powers

Powers that Congress can legitimately exercise that are not explicitly granted to it by the Constitution, such as creating a national bank, setting a minimum wage, and regulating immigration.

Expressed Powers

Authorities explicitly granted to the federal government by the Constitution, such as collecting taxes, borrowing money, minting money, declaring war, and raising an army.

Federalists

A group at the Constitutional Convention who wanted a strong central government and a weak state government.

Antifederalists

A group at the Constitutional Convention who wanted power to reside in the states rather than the central government.

New Jersey Plan

A plan supported by smaller states proposing a one-house legislature with equal representation in Congress.

Virginia Plan

A plan supported by larger states proposing a two-house legislature with representation in Congress based on population.

The Great Compromise

An agreement establishing a two-house legislature with equal representation in the upper house of Congress (the Senate).

Census

An official count taken every $10$ years.

Precedent

A ruling in an earlier case that was similar, which sets an example for future cases.

Common Law

A system of law based on precedent.

Magna Carta

The document that marked the first time the power of the monarchy was limited, transforming the monarch's authority from absolute to limited and leading to the creation of the British Parliament.

Scientific Revolution

Problem solving using rational thought and experimentation (science) instead of religious thinking using logic and reason.

Enlightenment

A historical period where people began applying the principles of the Scientific Revolution to the world.

House of Representatives Qualifications

Members serve terms of every $2$ years, must be older than $25$, must have been a U.S. citizen for $7$ years, and must live in the state they are elected to represent.

Senate Qualifications

Each state receives $2$ representatives who must be older than $30$, must have been a U.S. citizen for $9$ years, and must live in the state they are elected to represent.

Article 2 Qualifications for President

The President must be born a citizen of the United States, be at least $35$ years old, and have lived in the U.S. for $14$ years.

Article 5 Amendment Process

The process allowing the Constitution to be amended if $\frac{2}{3}$ of both houses agree, $\frac{2}{3}$ of the states agree, and it is approved by $\frac{3}{4}$ of the Congress.

Ratification

To legally confirm or make official; under Article 7, it required $9$ states to agree to ratify the Constitution.