American Federal Government

economic theory designed to increase a nation's wealth through development of commercial industry and a favorable balance of trade

meeting held in Philadelphia from September 5th to October 26th, 1774 in which 56 delegates (from every colony except Georgia) adopted a resolution in opposition to the Coercive Acts

meeting that convened in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, at which it was decided that an army should be raised & George Washington of Virginia was named commander in chief

drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 & proclaimed the right of the American colonies to seperate from Great Britian ~ drew heavily off Locke's social contract theories

compact among 13 colonies that created a loose league of friendship, w/ national government drawing powers from the state, proposed: -state retain independence & sovereignty, -one vote incontinental congress per state, -vote of 9 states to pass, - national government to make peace, coin $, army offciers, and negotiate w/ Indians, -selections & $ of delegates

type of government where the national government derives its powers from the states; league of independent states

constitutionally mandated structure that gives each of the 3 branches some degree of oversight & control over actions of others

dividing government power to legislative, executive & judicial branches, each staffed seperately w/ equality & independence assured by the constitution

agreement reached at the constitutional convention stipulating that each slave was to be counted as 3/5ths of a person for purposes of determining population for reps in US house of reps

final decision of the Constitutional Convention to create 2-house legislature w/ lower house elected by the people & w/ powers divided between the 2 houses ~ made natural law supreme law

believes that a government is best that governs least & that big government can only infringe on individual, personal & economic rights