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7th grade facts 1-35
History Facts
Term | Definition |
---|---|
The First Amendment | states that “Congress shall make no law” restricting freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition. |
The Second Amendment | guarantees the right of states to organize militias, or armies, and the right of individuals to bear arms. |
The Third Amendment | forbids the government to order private citizens to allow soldiers to live in their homes. |
The Fourth Amendment | requires that warrants be issued if property is to be searched or seized (taken) by the government. |
The Fifth Amendment | protects an accused person from having to testify against him or herself (self-incrimination); bans double jeopardy, and guarantees that no person will suffer the loss of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. |
The Sixth Amendment | guarantees the right to a speedy public trial by an impartial jury; the right to a lawyer; the right to cross examine witnesses; and the right to force witnesses at a trial to testify. |
The Seventh Amendment | guarantees the right to a jury trial in civil suits. |
The Eighth Amendment | prohibits cruel and unusual punishment and excessive bail or fines. |
The Ninth Amendment | states that the people have rights other than those specifically mentioned in the Constitution. |
The Tenth Amendment | states that powers not given to the federal government belong to the states. |
The Thirteenth Amendment | abolished slavery |
The Fourteenth Amendment | guarantees citizenship and rights to all people born or naturalized in the United States. |
The Fifteenth Amendment | guarantees the right to vote to all citizens regardless of race. |
The Great Compromise | Created two houses of Congress. One based on population, the other gave equal representation to each state. |
The Magna Carta | signed in 1215 by King John, was the first document that limited power of the ruler. |
The English Bill of Rights | protected the rights of English citizens and became the basis for the American Bill of Rights. |
signed on July 4, 1776 | The Declaration of Independence |
written in 1787 | The Constitution of the United States |
Louisiana Territory | President Thomas Jefferson purchased it from France in 1803. |
Primary Sources | the original records of an event. They include eyewitness reports, records created at the time of an event, speeches, and letters by people involved in the event, photographs and artifacts. |
Secondary Sources | the later writings and interpretations of historians and writers. Often secondary sources, like textbooks and articles, provide summaries of information found in primary sources. |
Civil Disobedience | the refusal to obey a government law or laws as a means of passive resistance because of one’s moral conviction or belief. |
Mercantilism | an economic theory that a country’s strength is measured by the amount of gold it has, that a country should sell more than it buys and that the colonies exist for the benefit of the Mother Country. |
Representative Government | a system of government in which voters elect representatives to make laws for them. |
Declaration of Independence | a document written by Thomas Jefferson, declaring the colonies independence from England. |
Republic | is a nation in which voters choose representatives to govern them. |
Three Branches of Government | the Legislative Branch, the Judicial Branch, and the Executive branch. |
Checks and Balances | system set up by the Constitution in which each branch of the federal government has the power to check, or control, the actions of the other branches. |
Federalism | the sharing of power between the states and the national government |
Amend | to change. |
A Democracy | a form of government that is run for and by the people, giving people the supreme power. |
Ratify | to approve by vote. |
Judicial Review | the right of the Supreme Court to judge laws passed by Congress and determine whether they are constitutional or not. |
The Articles of Confederation | The first American constitution. It was a very weak document that limited the power of the Congress by giving states the final authority over all decisions. |
The Constitution of the United States | sets out the laws and principles of the government of the United States. |