Topic # 14Unit 3 Vocabulary

RAP: After realizing that a weak central government was not a good idea, do you think the founders should toss the Articles of Confederation or amend them. Explain your answer.

Lesson Goal: Students will be able to:

1. Understand and be able to use vocabulary words

WOW: Define the following Words: Advice and ConsentAppellate JurisdictionElectoral CollegeEnumerated PowersEqual RepresentationEx Post Facto LawFugitive Slave ClauseGeneral Welfare ClauseGreat CompromiseImpeach

JurisdictionNew Jersey PlanOriginal JurisdictionProportional RepresentationTariffThree-fifths clauseTwenty-Second AmendmentUnconstitutionalVirginia PlanWrit of Habeas Corpus

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Advice and Consent:

The right of the U.S. Senate, granted in Article II of the Constitution, to review treaties and major presidential appointments. 2/3 vote of senators is required for treaties and a simple majority for appointments.

WOW Appellate Jurisdiction:

The legal authority of a court to head appeals from a lower court.

WOW

Electoral College:

The group of presidential electors who cast the official votes for president and vice president after a presidential election. Each state has a number of electors equal to the total of its members in the Senate and House of Representatives.

WOW Enumerated Powers:

Those rights and responsibilities of the U.S. government specifically provided for and listed in the Constitution.

WOW Equal Representation:

The idea that each state should have the same number of representatives in Congress. The number of representatives in the Senate if based on equal representation.

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Ex Post Facto Law:

A law that makes an act a crime that was not a crime when the act was committed, that increased the penalty for a crime after it was committed, or that changes the rules of evidence to make conviction easier. Ex Post Facto Laws are forbidden by Article I of the Constitution.

WOW Fugitive Slave Clause:

Part of Article IV of the Constitution which stated that slaves who escaped must be returned to their owners. It was later abolished by the Thirteenth Amendment.

WOW General Welfare Clause:

Part of Article I of the Constitution that authorized Congress to provide for the common defense of the country and for the common good.

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Great Compromise:

The plan that was accepted at the Philadelphia Convention that called for Congress to have two houses. In the Senate, representation of the states would be equal, with each state having two senators. The House of Representatives would be proportional and is determined by each state’s population.

WOW Impeach:

To bring to a trial a public official accused of committing a crime or engaging in misconduct while in office.

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Jurisdiction:

The power or authority to hear cases and make decisions.

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New Jersey Plan:

The plan that was presented at the Philadelphia Convention that called for a one-house national legislature with each state having equal representation. The New Jersey plan followed the framework of the Articles of Confederation and favored a weak national government.

WOW Original Jurisdiction:

The legal authority of a court to be the first to hear a case.

WOW Proportional Representation:

The electoral system in which the number of representatives for a state is based on the number of people who live in that state. Proportional Representation is used to determine the number of each state’s representatives serving in the House of Representatives.

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Tariff:

A tax on imported or exported goods or a list or system that describes such taxes.

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Three-Fifths Clause:

The clause provided that each slave should be counted as three-fifths of a person in determining the number of representatives a state might send to the House of Representatives. It also determined the amount of direct taxes Congress may levy on a state.

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Twenty Second Amendment:

The amendment that prohibits any person from being elected president more than twice.

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Unconstitutional:

Not allowed by the Constitution; illegal; contradicts the Constitution.

WOW Virginia Plan:

The plan presented at the Philadelphia convention that provided for a national government composed of three branches. It proposed a Congress of two houses, both of which would be based on proportional representation. The Virginia Plan favored a strong national government.

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Writs of Habeas Corpus:

A court order directing that a prisoner be brought to court before a judge to determine if the detention of the person is lawful.