Anarchy:
Absence of government (law of the jungle)

Anti-federalists:
Favored strong state governments and a weak central government; opposed ratifying the Constitution

Bill of Rights:
First 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution

Boycott:
Organized protest: a refusal to buy or sell an opponent’s goods or products in order to influence his/her behavior

Charter:
Written government approval to establish a corporation; includes company name, address, purpose of business, number of shares of stock, and other features of the business.

Civil Disobedience:
Refusal to obey laws that are unjust; using passive resistance to protest unfair laws

Committees of Correspondence:
Organized groups of individuals who exchanged ideas, information, and propaganda designed to encourage opposition to British policy.

Compromise:
When opposing points of view make concessions in order to come to an agreement.

Consensus:
General agreement

Electoral College:
A group of people chosen in each state to vote directly for the president. The number of each state's electors is equal the number of the state's congresspersons. Today, the candidate who wins the most votes in a state's national general election wins all of the state's electoral votes. However, electors are not bound by law to vote for a particular candidate. A candidate must win a majority (more than 50%) of the electoral vote to be elected President. In the event no candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes, the names of the 3 candidates with the most electoral votes are sent to the House of Representatives. Members of the House elect the President from the three candidates.

Executive Branch:
President – responsible for enforcing the laws

Federalists:
Supported a strong national government that could unify the states and set an agenda for the nation

Joint Stock Company:
A company formed by a group of investors, ownership is divided into shares represented by stock. The money earned from the initial sale of stock is used to finance the company. Profits from the company are shared by the stock holders – stocks can be sold or traded to other individuals.

Judicial Branch:
The Supreme Court – responsible for interpreting the laws.

Lafayette, Marquette de:
French nobleman who recruited, financed, and led a private army in the American Revolution

Legislative Branch:
Congress – responsible for making the laws

Levied (levy):
To impose or collect - to impose a tax

Mercantile System:
An economic system based on the idea that colonies exist for the economic benefit of the mother country. Colonies are a source of raw materials and a market for goods manufactured by the mother country.

Monopoly (monopolistic):
Exclusive ownership or control - control of a market or product

Official recognition:
Term used to designate the legitimacy of independent nations. When legitimate (legal) nations recognize the legal existence of another nation.

Pilgrims:
Individuals on a religious journey. The Pilgrims left England so they could practice their religion without interference from the crown. The Pilgrims believed Providence guided them to the New World. By right living and prosperity, they believed they would become a beacon to the world - like a magnificent "City on the Hill" for the rest of the world to follow. Many historians trace the idea of Manifest Destiny to the Pilgrim Fathers.

Repeal:
To take back - to overturn or nullify a law

Revenues:
Income

Rule of law:
Philosophy that no one is above the law; everyone, even the ruler, must obey the law.

Shay’s Rebellion:
Daniel Shay, a Massachusetts farmer, and his debt-ridden followers demanded cheap paper money and tax relief. The state responded with armed militia and the protest turned into a bloody episode known as Shay's Rebellion. This incident caused grave concern that small factions could lead to anarchy.

Social Contract:
Government philosophy based on the writings of John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Jean Jacques Rousseau - the idea that people agree with one another to create a state, and sign an agreement (contract) to give the state certain powers to ensure the safety and well being of the society.

Sovereignty:
Supreme power to rule (in the United States, the people are sovereign)

Unalienable:
Not foreign, natural, cannot be made unnatural

Unicameral:
One house legislature

Virginia Charter:
A formal document issued by the king, that granted the London Company investors the right to establish a colony and guaranteed English colonists the same rights they would have enjoyed if they had remained in England.