Constitution
Vocabulary
American Government
Great Compromise


Also known as the Connecticut Compromise
Agreement during the Constitutional
Convention that Congress should be composed
of a Senate, in which States would be
represented equally, and a House, in which
representation would be based on a State’s
population.
3/5 Compromise

An agreement at the Constitutional Convention
to count a slave as three-fifths of a person when
determining the population of the state
Federalism

A system of government in which a written
constitution divides power between a central or
national government and several other regional
governments.
Reserved

Those powers that the Constitution does not
grant to the National Government and does not,
at the same time, deny to the States
Concurrent

Those powers that both the National
Government and the States possess and exercise
Enumerated


Also called “Expressed Powers”
Those delegated powers of the National
Government that are spelled out expressly in the
Constitution
Checks and Balances

System of overlapping the powers of the
legislative, executive and judicial branches to
permit each branch to check the actions of the
others
Judicial Review

The power of a court to determine the
constitutionality of a governmental action
Federalist

Those persons who supported the ratification
of the Constitution
Anti-Federalists

Those persons who opposed the ratification of
the Constitution
Federalist Papers

Collection of essays supporting the Constitution
written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and
James Madison
Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution
Ratification

Formal approval of a constitution, amendment,
or treaty.
Preamble

Introduction
Due Process of Law

The government must act fairly and in accord
with established rules.
Amendments

A change or addition to a constitution or law
Habeas Corpus


Protection from unlawful imprisonment.
Petition to determine if someone should be
released from custody
Bill of Attainder

A legislative act that inflicts punishment without
a court trial
Ex Post Facto Laws

An ex post facto law is a law passed after the
occurrence of an event or action which
retrospectively changes the legal consequences
of the event or action.
Full Faith and Credit Clause

Constitution's requirement that each State
accept the public acts records and judicial
proceedings of every other state.
Supremacy Clause

Under the Supremacy Clause, everyone must
follow federal law in the face of conflicting state
law
Limited Government

Basic principle of American government which
states that government is restricted in what it
may do and each individual has rights that
government cannot take away.
Popular Sovereignty

Basic principle of the American system of
government which asserts that the people are
the source of any and all governmental power
and government can exist only with the consent
of the governed.