Constitutional Convention Terms
Checks And Balances, Balance Of Powers
The fundamental underpinning of American government, whereby the Constitution ensures a degree of balance between each of the three branches (executive, legislative, and judicial). This balance comes from giving each branch a measure of influence over the others. This way, no one branch can amass too much power, and hopefully, the federal government will work together in order to get things accomplished. (Well, there's some wishful thinking, anyway.)Here's an example. Both houses of Congress must pass a proposed law before it can go on to the president, who can sign the law or veto it. Even after a veto, Congress can still pass the law with a two-thirds majority. And if the law is passed, the Supreme Court has the power—known as "judicial review"—to uphold or invalidate that law, based on whether it's deemed constitutional.
Electoral College
The Electoral College is the body that elects the president. It consists of 538 presidential Electors, with each state represented by a number of Electors equal to that state's combined representation in the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Electors meet in their states' capitals on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December in presidential election years to cast their votes for the president and vice president.To be elected to the presidency, a candidate must receive a majority of the Electoral College votes cast. If no candidate receives a majority in the Electoral College, the House of Representatives selects the president from among the top three vote-getters in the Electoral College. Each state has one vote in this selection process, regardless of size, and to be elected, a candidate must receive the vote of more than half of the states (currently at least 26 of 50).
Executive, Executive Branch
The branch of government charged with putting into effect a country's laws and the administering of its functions. In the United States, the president leads the executive branch.Federalist, Federalists
This term can be confusing as it was employed to describe two overlapping but different groups. It was first adopted by those supporting ratification of the Constitution. They wanted a term that distinguished this new government from the Confederation established under the Articles and by comparison, suggested the increased strength of the new government. But they also wanted to avoid the suggestion of a too strong government—the sort that might be suggested by the term "nationalists." The term "Federalist" satisfied this need.When political parties started to form during Washington's administration, the term was re-employed to identify those favoring a stronger, more assertive federal government. But it also carried other connotations— most importantly, a belief that the views of the people needed to be filtered through the experience and education of the "wise and the good."
Judicial, Judiciary, Judicial Branch
Of or relating to courts of law or to the administration of justice.Legislative, Legislative Branch, Legislature
Having the power to create laws.Nationalists
In this context, a nationalist is a person who favors a strong national government, or at least a stronger one than that which existed under the Articles of Confederation. This category could embrace very different individuals, like James Madison of Virginia and Alexander Hamilton of New York.Madison was descended from wealthy Virginia planters and was fairly aloof in person, but committed to the principles of political freedom and representative government. Hamilton was one of the very few Convention delegates who came from humble origins and yet, he became something of a snob who distrusted democracy and advocated a monarch akin to the British model to serve as a check upon both the popular masses and the elite members of American society.