| Anti-Federalists | the label given to the opponents of the ratification of the Constitution.
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| Bill of Rights | the first ten amendments to the Constitution.
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| checks and balances | the elaborate system of divided spheres of authority provided by the U.S. Constitution as a means of controlling the power of government. Separation of powers among the branches of the national government, federalism, and the different methods of selecting national officers are all part of this system.
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| constitution | provides for limited government by defining lawful powers including the principles according to which a country is organized.
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| constitutional democracy | a government that is democratic in its provisions for majority influence through elections and is constitutional in its provisions for minority rights and rule by law.
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| delegates | the idea of elected representatives as being obligated to carry out the expressed wishes of the electorate.
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| democracy | a form of government in which the people govern, either directly or through elected representatives.
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| denials of power | a constitutional means of limiting governmental action by listing those powers that government is expressly prohibited from using.
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| Electoral College | provided that the president would be selected by electors chosen by the states.
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| electoral votes | assigned to states based upon the total number of members of Congress assigned to the states.
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| Federalists | those who supported the ratification of the Constitution.
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| grants of power | the method of limiting the U.S. government by confining its scope of authority to those powers expressly granted in the Constitution.
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| Great Compromise | provided for a bicameral (two-chamber) Congress: the House of Representatives would be apportioned among the states on the basis of population and the Senate on the basis of an equal number of votes (two) for each state.
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| inalienable (natural) rights | those rights which persons theoretically possessed in the state of nature, prior to formation of governments. These rights, including those of life, liberty and property, are considered inherent and as such are inalienable. Since government is established by people, government has the responsibility to preserve these rights.
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| judicial review | the power of courts to decide whether a governmental official or institution has acted within the limits of the Constitution and, if not, to declare its action null and void.
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| limited government | a government that is subject to strict limits on its lawful uses of powers and hence on its ability to deprive people of their liberty.
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| New Jersey (small-state) Plan | called for a stronger national government with power to tax and regulate commerce among the states.
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| primary elections | election to nominate candidates for office in which the rank-and-file voters are given the opportunity to select party nominees.
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| representative democracy | a system in which the people participate in the decision-making process of government not directly but indirectly, through the election of officials to represent their interests.
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| republic | historically, the form of government in which representative officials met to decide on policy issues. These representatives were expected to serve the public interest but were not subject to the people's immediate control. Today, the term republic is used interchangeably with democracy.
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| self-government | the principle that the people are the ultimate source and proper beneficiary of governing authority; in practice, a government based on majority rule.
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| separated institutions sharing power | the principle that as a way to limit government, its powers should be divided among separate branches, each of which also shares in the power of the others as a means of checking and balancing them. The result is that no one branch can exercise power decisively without the support or acquiescence of the others.
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| separation of powers | a way to check power with power by dividing the authority of government so that no single institution could exercise great power without the agreement of other institutions.
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| trustees | the idea that elected representatives are obligated to act in accordance with their own consciences concerning which policies are in the best interests of the public.
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| tyranny of the majority | the potential of a majority to monopolize power for its own gain to the detriment of minority rights and interests.
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| Virginia (large-state) Plan | provided that the states would have numerical representation in Congress in proportion to their populations or tax contributions.
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