Brandon Calloway

Articles of Confederation- plan that established, in 1781, a limited national government in the United States, later replaced by the Constitution of the U.S.

The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain.

Checks and Balances- system in which each of the branches of the federal government can check the actions of the other branches

The checks and balances are used to keep a branch from having superiority over another

Executive Branch- branch of government, led by the president that enforces laws

The executive branch of our Government is in charge of making sure that the laws of the United States are obeyed.

George Washington- first president of the United States, 1789-1797; led American forces in the War for Independence; set several federal precedents, including the two-term maximum for presidential office

George Washington led the troops along the frozen Delaware River.

Brandon Calloway

Great Compromise- Compromise at the Constitutional Convention calling for a two-house legislature, with one house elected on the basis of population and the other representing each state equally

The Great Compromise was also known as the Connecticut Compromise.

Judicial Branch- Branch of government, made up of courts and judges, that interprets and applies the laws

The third branch of government is the judicial branch

Legislative Branch- Branch of government that makes the laws; Congress

The Legislative Branch is the part of the government that writes up and votes on laws, also called legislation

Limited Government- a principle of classical liberalism, free market libertarianism, and some tendencies of liberalism and conservatism in the United States

A constitutionally limited government is a system of government that is bound to certain principles of action by a state constitution.

Brandon Calloway

Separation of Powers- the constitutional allotting of within the federal government among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches

The separation of powers, often imprecisely used interchangeably with the trias political principle

Shays Rebellion- an uprising against taxes in Massachusetts in 1786 and 1787

Shays' Rebellion is the name given to a series of protests in 1786 and 1787 by American farmers against state and local enforcement of tax collections and judgments for debt.

Slavery- the issue of slavery opened up a bitter divide between the North and the South.

Slavery in America began when the first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, to aid in the production of such lucrative crops as tobacco.

Brandon Calloway

States’ Rights- the powers that the Constitution neither gives to the federal government nor denies to the states

In American political discourse, states' rights refers to political powers reserved for the U.S. state governments rather than the federal government according to the United States Constitution, reflecting especially the enumerated powers of Congress and the Tenth Amendment.

U.S. Constitution- the United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America.

Brandon Calloway