A form of political organization in which governmental power is divided between a central government and territorial subdivisions.
The electoral system in which the number of reps. of a state in the House of Representatives is based on the # of people who live in that state.
New Jersey Plan
New Jersey delegate William Paterson's plan of government, in which states got an equal number of representatives in Congress.
Many Delegates thought that the defects of the Articles were so serious it would be better to not use them as a starting point. (James Madison drafted the plan).
Connecticut Compromise (The Great Compromise)
Committee adopted a proposal previously suggested by Connecticut delegates Rodger Sherman and Oliver Ellswork. The House of Representatives would be elected by the people on the basis of proportional representation.
bills of attainder
An act of the legislature that inflicts punishment on an individual or group without a judicial trial.
ex-post facto laws
A law which punishes people for a crime that was not a crime when it was committed. Congress cannot pass these laws.
fugitive slave clause
Article IV, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution, which stated that slaves who escaped must be returned to their owners. It was later abolished in the Thirteenth Amendment.
necessary and proper clause
Constitutional clause that gives congress the power to make all laws "necessary and proper" for executing its powers.
The division of the powers of government among the different branches. Separating powers is a primary strategy of promoting constitutional or limited government by ensuring that no one individual branch has excessive power that can be abused..
Found in Article 6 Clause2. Makes the Constitution the Supreme Law of the Land. Forbids the states from using their reserved or concurrent powers to thwart national policies.