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Chap 2 Vocab

The document defines 20 key terms related to the origins and structures of the US government: Limited government, representative government, the Magna Carta, Petition of Right, English Bill of Rights, bicameral, unicameral, confederation, popular sovereignty, Articles of Confederation, ratification, the Virginia Plan, New Jersey Plan, Connecticut Compromise, Three-fifths Compromise, Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise, federalists, anti-federalists, quorum, and the Federalist Papers. These terms describe the philosophical underpinnings and compromises that led to the drafting and ratification of the US Constitution.

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65 views

Chap 2 Vocab

The document defines 20 key terms related to the origins and structures of the US government: Limited government, representative government, the Magna Carta, Petition of Right, English Bill of Rights, bicameral, unicameral, confederation, popular sovereignty, Articles of Confederation, ratification, the Virginia Plan, New Jersey Plan, Connecticut Compromise, Three-fifths Compromise, Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise, federalists, anti-federalists, quorum, and the Federalist Papers. These terms describe the philosophical underpinnings and compromises that led to the drafting and ratification of the US Constitution.

Uploaded by

sadya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 2 Vocabulary

1. Limited Government: is the view in political philosophy that a government, from a starting
point of having no power, is empowered and restricted by law which is written in its constitution.
2. Representative Government: An electoral system where citizens vote to elect people to
represent their interests and concerns.
3. Magna Carta: a charter of liberties to which the English barons forced King John to give his
assent in June 1215 at Runnymede.
4. Petition of Right: an English constitutional document setting out specific individual protections
against the state, reportedly of equal value to Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights 1689.
5. English Bill of Rights: DescriptionThe Bill of Rights 1689, also known as the Bill of Rights
1688, is a landmark Act in the constitutional law of England that sets out certain basic civil rights
and clarifies who would be next to inherit the Crown
6. Bicameral: (of a legislative body) having two branches or chambers.
7. Unicameral: (of a legislative body) having a single legislative chamber.
8. Confederation: an organization which consists of a number of parties or groups united in an
alliance or league.
9. Popular Sovereignty: a doctrine in political theory that government is created by and subject
to the will of the people
10. Articles of Confederation: the original constitution of the US, ratified in 1781, which was
replaced by the US Constitution in 1789.
11. Ratification: the action of signing or giving formal consent to a treaty, contract, or
agreement, making it officially valid.
12. Virginia Plan: a proposal to establish a bicameral legislature in the newly-founded United
States. Drafted by James Madison in 1787, the plan recommended that states be represented
based upon their population numbers, and it also called for the creation of three branches of
government
13. New Jersey Plan: a proposal for the structure of the United States Government presented
by William Paterson at the Constitutional Convention on June 15, 1787. The plan was created in
response to the Virginia Plan, which called for two houses of Congress, both elected with
apportionment according to population.
14. Connecticut Compromise: an agreement that large and small states reached during the
Constitutional Convention of 1787 that in part defined the legislative structure and
representation that each state would have under the United States Constitution.
15. Three-fifths Compromise: a compromise reached among state delegates during the 1787
United States Constitutional Convention.
16. Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise: Congress could not prohibit the slave trade until
1808, but that any imported slaves could be taxed.
17. Federalists: a person who advocates or supports a system of government in which several
states unite under a central authority.
18. Anti-Federalists: The previous constitution, called the Articles of Confederation and
Perpetual Union, gave state governments more authority.
19. Quorum: the minimum number of members of an assembly or society that must be present
at any of its meetings to make the proceedings of that meeting valid.
20. Federalist Papers: a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton,
James Madison, and John Jay under the pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the
United States Constitution.

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