Principles of the Constitution 6 Principles of the

Principles of the Constitution

6 Principles of the Constitution � The constitution was planned on certain principles (basic truth, law, or assumption) � The 6 principles are ◦ ◦ ◦ Popular Sovereignty Limited Government Separation of Powers Checks and Balances Judicial Review Federalism

Popular Sovereignty � The Preamble of the Constitution begins with this bold phrase: “We the people…. ” These words tell people that in the US, the people establish the government and give it its power. � Definition: people hold all power because they elect the leaders of the national and state governments

Limited Government � The Constitution sets limits on the power the government has � Government must obey the law according to the principles of the Constitution � The government and its officers are never above the law

Separation of Powers � Government power is not only limited; it is also divided � Constitution assigns power to each of the three branches � Legislative (Congress)- makes the laws � Executive (President)- enforces the laws � Judicial (Federal Courts)- interprets the laws � Separation of powers prevents a misuse of power by any of the three branches

Checks and Balances � Limits are placed on each branch to prevent one branch from becoming too powerful � These limits extend the restrictions established by the separation of powers � Branches have the authority to restrain the actions of either of the two branches � Prevents tyranny by one branch

Judicial Review � Supreme Court decides whether a branch has overstepped their limits � They review the governmental actions and cancel (nullify) any that are unconstitutional

Federalism � Definition: government system in which power is divided between the national and state governments � Both levels have their own agencies and pass laws that affect citizens � Helps keep the national government powerful but not too powerful to threaten the state governments