AMERICA: THE FEDERAL
REPUBLIC
How Many Levels of
Government?
Sovereign
 Sovereign means to have
the highest rank or
authority
 In the United States the
people are sovereign
 FEDERAL SYSTEM: the
sovereign people
delegate their authority
to government to
represent them
Federalism
 FEDERALISM: The practice of dividing and
sharing the powers of government between a
central government and regional/state
governments
 The United States is NOT a democracy; we are a
constitutional federal republic
The Supremacy Clause
 The Supremacy Clause:
The Constitution of the
United States shall be
the supreme law of the
land (Article VI, Section
II)
 States cannot make laws
that conflict with the
Constitution or laws made
by Congress
Defending the People
 Ninth Amendment: The people have rights
beyond those expressly written in the
Constitution
 Your rights as a person extend beyond the rights
written in our Constitution
 Tenth Amendment: Rights not specifically given
to the federal government remain with the
states and the people
 If a right or power is not expressly given to the federal
government, that right or power belongs to the states
and the people
Summarize
 In your interactive notebook, at the bottom
of your notes page, write a short paragraph
about today’s lesson. Write about:
 What the main idea of the lesson was
 AND what you learned today.
 Your summary should be able to explain
today’s lesson to someone who was not in
class today.