The 5 Principles of the Constitution So what

The 5 Principles of the Constitution

So what are they? • People rule • Limited Government • Federalism • Separation of Powers • Checks and

The People Rule • “We the people of the United States of America…” • Popular sovereignty- the people hold the final authority in the government • The Constitution is a contract between the people and the government

Limited government • The government has only the powers that the people give it (the powers are stated in the Constitution) • Bill of Rights- these are our guarantees of liberty • Amendment 9 says that people have rights that are not specifically mentioned in the Constitution • Amendment 10 gives the states power not set aside for the national/federal government

Federalism • Divides power between the national government and the states (remember why the AOC was so weak? ) • There are certain powers assigned to the federal government, some powers reserved to the states, and some

Separation of Powers • 3 branches- legislative, executive, and judicial • Each branch has own powers and responsibilities • Legislative (Congress)- makes the laws • Executive (President and his cabinet)carries out the laws • Judicial (Supreme Court)interprets/explains the laws

Checks and Balances • Prevents one branch from getting too powerful (remember King George? ) • Each branch has ways to check the other 2 - for instance, Congress passes bills, but the President can veto it and the Supreme Court can declare it unconstitutional (judicial review) See the chart on pg. 184 for more examples