Opponents of ratifying the U.S. Constitution. They favored the loose association of states established under the Articles of Confederation.

The first written plan of government for the United States. A confederation is an association of states that cooperate for a common purpose.

A written plan that provides the basic framework of a government. 

A meeting held in Philadelphia in 1787 at which delegates from the states wrote the U.S. Constitution.

The group established by the Constitution to elect the president and vice president. Voters in each state choose their electors when they vote for president.

The "Age of Reason" in 17th- and 18th-century Europe. Enlightenment thinkers emphasized using rational thought to discover truths about nature and society.

supporters of ratifying the U.S. Constitution. They favored the creation of a strong federal government that shared power with the states.

The plan of government adopted at the Constitutional Convention that established a two-house Congress.

A law passed by Congress in 1787 that specified how western lands would be governed.

a region of the United States bounded by the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and the Great Lakes. The region was given to the United States by the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

To formally approve a plan or an agreement. The process of approval is called ratification. 

A country governed by elected representatives.

A series of essays written in support of the ratification of the Constitution.

Enslaved persons would be counted as three-fifths of a person when determining a state's population for representation.