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Instructions: In your own words, summarize each of the following principles into two or more sentences! Popular Sovereignty The Framers of the Constitution lived at a time when monarchs claimed that their power came from God. The Preamble, which begins “We the people,” reflects a revolutionary new idea: a government gets its authority from the people. This principle, known as popular sovereignty, asserts that the people are the primary source of the government's authority. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Limited Government The colonists believed that the British king had ruled them harshly. To avoid a repeat of this rule in their new government, the Framers made limited government a principle of the Constitution. In a limited government, the government has only the powers that the Constitution gives it. Equally important, every citizen of the United States—including the President—must obey the law. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Separation of Powers To further limit the power of the government, the Framers provided for separation of powers. The Constitution divides the government into three branches, and each branch has its own duties. The chart below outlines the duties of each branch of government. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Checks and Balances A system of checks and balances safeguards against abuse of power. Each branch of government has the power to check, or limit, the actions of the other two. This arrangement guarantees that no branch of government will become too powerful. The chart above describes the specific checks each branch has on the other two. The next six pages of this handbook will detail how each branch of government works. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Federalism The Constitution also establishes the principle of federalism, or division of power between the federal government and the states. The Constitution grants specific powers to the federal government and other powers to the states. Powers that are not clearly given to the federal government belong to the states. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Republicanism The Constitution provides for a republican form of government. Instead of direct participation in government, citizens elect representatives to carry out their will. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Individual Rights The Constitution protects individual rights, such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to trial by jury. You will learn more about the rights protected by the Constitution later in the unit. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |