AP gov. and pol. Unit 1 vocab.

agreement between a democratic government and its' people that if violated, the people could take the power back

law of God, acknowledged through human sense and reason under which people were born free and equal

the people as the ultimate ruling authority

political ideology in which men were entitled to life, liberty, and property and these could not be taken away except under laws created through the consent of the governed

non-government groups organize to try to exert influence on political decision-making

series of statements that defined the initial national government and redefined the former colonies as states

states were expected to return fugitives to states where they had committed crimes and runaway slaves to states that they had fled

his influence in creating the plan for the new government and his stalwart support of it during the ratification process earned him the name of the Father of the Constitution

proposed three-branch system of government, bicameral legislature, and made the national gov. supreme over the states which became the blueprint for the Constitution (benefited large states since reps were by pop.)

proposed system of gov. in which states would retain sovereignty (each state gets 2 reps)