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| A nation's basic law. It creates political institutions, assigns or divide powers i government, and often provides certain guarantees to citizens. Constitutions can be either written or unwritten. |
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| Declaration of Independence |
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| THe document approved by the representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence. |
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| Rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property. The concept of natural rights was central to English philosopher John Locke's theories about government, and was widely accepted among among America's founding fathers. Thomas Jefferson echoed Locke's language in drafting the Declaration of Independence. |
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| According to John Locke, the required basis for government. The Declaration of Independence reflects Locke's view that governments derive their authority from the consent of the governed. |
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| The idea that certain things are out of bounds for government because of the natural rights of citizens. Limited government was central to John Locke's philosophy in the seventeenth century, and it contrasted sharply with the prevailing view of the divine rights of monarchs |
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| Articles of Confederation |
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| The first constitution of the US, adopted by Congress in 1777 and enacted in 1781. The Articles established a national legislature, the continental congress, but most authority rested with the state legislatures. |
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| A series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by revolutionary war Captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings. |
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| THe document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of the US government and the tasks these institutions perform. It replaced the Articles of Confederation. |
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| Interest groups arising from the unequal distribution of property or wealth that James Madison attacked in Federalist Paper No. 10. Today's parties or interest groups are what Madison had in mind when he warned of the instability in government caused by factions. |
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| The proposal at the Constitutional convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of state's population. |
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| The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for representation of each state in Congress in proportion to that state's share of the US population. |
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| The compromis reached at the Constitutional Convention that established two houses of Congress: the House of Representatives, in which representation is based on a state's share of the US population, and the Senate, in which each state has two representatives. |
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| A court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody. |
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| An important part of the Madisonian model that requires each of the three branches of government - executive, legislative, and judicial - to be relatively independent of the others so that one cannot control the others. Power is shared among these three institutions. |
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| An important part of the Madisonian model designed to limit government's power by requiring that power be balanced among the different governmental institutions. These institutions continually check one another's activities. This system reflects Madison's goal of setting power against power. |
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| 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. In contrast to a direct democracy, in which people themselves make laws, in a republic the people select representatives who make the laws. |
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| Supporters of the US constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption |
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| Opponnents of the American Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption. They argued that the Constitution was a class-based document, that it would erode fundamental liberties, and that it would weaken the power of the states. |
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| A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail. Collectively, these papers are second only to the US Constitution in characterizing the framers' intents. |
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| The first 10 amendments to the US Constitution, drafted in response to some of the Anti-Federalist concerns. These amendments define such basic liberties as freedom of religion, speech, and press and offer protections against arbitrary searches by the police and being held without talking to a lawyer. |
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| A constitutional amendment originally introduced in 1923 and passed by Congress in 1978 and sent to the state legislatures for ratification, stating that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." Despite substantial public support and extended deadline, the amendment failed to acquire the necessary support from three-fourths of the state legislatures. |
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| The 1803 case in which Chief Justice John Marshall and his associates first asserted the right of the Supreme Court to determine the meaning of the US constitution. The decision established the Court's power of judicial review over acts of Congress, in this case the Judiciary Act of 1789 |
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| The power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress, and by implication the executive, are in accord with the US constitution. Judicial review was established by John Marshall and his associates in Marbury v. Madison |
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