AP Politics Chapter 2 Vocabulary

1. Anti-Federalists – opposed the new Constitution, feared the new Constitution would
erode fundamental liberties, and argued that the new Constitution was a class-based
document serving the economic elite.
2. Articles of Confederation – the document which outlines the voluntary agreement
between states and was adopted as the first plan for a permanent union of the United
States.
3. Bill of Rights – the first ten Amendments to the Constitution.
4. Checks and Balances – each branch required the consent of the others for many of its
decisions.
5. Connecticut Compromise – the plan adopted at the Constitutional Convention to provide
for two chambers in Congress.
6. Constitution—A nation’s basic law. It creates political institutions, assigns or divides
powers in government, and often provides certain guarantees to citizens. (Written or
unwritten)
7. Declaration of Independence – the document used by the signers to announce and justify
the revolutionary war and which was specifically designed to enlist the aid of foreign
nations in revolt.
8. Federalists – argued for ratification of the Constitution. (Madison, Hamilton and Jay)
9. Natural Rights—Rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which
include life, liberty, and property. (Locke → Jefferson’s Dec. of Indy)
10. New Jersey Plan – a plan by some of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention to
provide each state with equal representation in Congress.
11. Virginia Plan – a plan by some of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention to
provide each state with a share of Congressional seats based on its share of the
population.
12. Marbury v. Madison – Judicial review was established in this 1803 Supreme Court Case.
13. Limited Government—The idea that certain things are out of bounds for government
because of the natural rights of citizens.
14. Factions—Interest groups arising from the unequal distribution of property or wealth that
James Madison attacked in Fed. 10.
15. Writ of Habeas Corpus—A court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they
are holding a prisoner in custody.
16. Separation of Powers—An important part of the Madisonian model that requires each of
the three branches of government, to be relatively independent of the others so that one
cannot control the others.
17. Check and Balances—An important part of the Madisonian model designed to limit
government’s power by requiring that power be balanced among the different
governmental institutions.
18. Republic—A form of government that derives its power, directly or indirectly, from the
people. Those chosen to govern are accountable to those whom they govern.
19. Federalist Papers—A collection of 85 articles written by Hamilton, Jay, and Madison
under the name “Publius” to defend the Constitution in detail.
20. Judicial Review—The power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress, and by
implication the executive, are in accord with the U.S. Constitution.