Structure,
Roles,
and
Responsibilities
of the
United States Government
6 principles of the Constitution
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Popular Sovereignty
Limited Government
Separation of Powers
Checks and Balances
Judicial Review
Federalism
Popular Sovereignty
• The belief that the
legitimacy of the
state (nation) is
created by the will
or consent of its
people, who are
the source of all
political power.
Government has no power
unless “We the People”
give it to them.
Popular Sovereignty
• It is closely associated to the
Enlightenment philosophers, among
whom are Thomas Hobbes, John Locke
and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
A little rebellion now and then...is a medicine
necessary for the sound health of government.
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to James Madison,
1787
3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)
How can we rebel against our government?
Popular Sovereignty
The doctrine of popular
sovereignty was used to
decide the slavery issue
in new territories. The
people that lived in the
territories (not Congress)
would decide whether or
not to allow slavery in the
individual territories.
Was it a good idea to allow the people decide the fate of
slavery or should Congress decide?
Limited Government
• The Declaration of
Independence
stated the concept
of limited
government.
•Governments derive "their
just powers from the consent
of the governed"
The few and limited powers of the United States government
are enumerated and defined in the people's fundamental law—
the Constitution, as amended.
This is the basis of Rule-of-Law
Rule of Law, is the principle that no one is
above the law. The rule follows logically
from the idea that law, is based upon
fundamental principles which can be
discovered, but which cannot be created
through an act of will.
The most important application of the rule
of law is the principle that governmental
authority is legitimately exercised only in
accordance with written, publicly disclosed
laws adopted and enforced in accordance
with established procedural steps that are
referred to as due process. The principle is
intended to be a safeguard against arbitrary
governance, whether by a totalitarian leader
or by mob rule. Thus, the rule of law is
hostile both to dictatorship and to anarchy.
Separation of power
• Three separate branches: executive,
judicial, and legislative. The three
branches are distinct and have checks
and balances on each other. In this way,
no one branch can gain absolute power
or abuse the power they are given.
Separation of power
• The executive branch is headed by the President and
includes the bureaucracy. The legislative branch includes
both houses of Congress: the Senate and the House of
Representatives. The judicial branch consists of the
Supreme Court and the lower federal courts.
Checks and balances
• Guarantees that no part of the government
becomes too powerful. For example, the legislative
branch is in charge of making laws. The executive
branch can veto the law, making it harder for the
legislative branch to pass the law. The judicial
branch may also say that the law is unconstitutional
and thus make sure it is not a law.
Checks and balances
Judicial review
• The doctrine under which legislative and
executive actions are subject to review, and
possible invalidation, by the judiciary.
Does the Constitution give the
Supreme Court the power to
invalidate the actions of other
branches of Government?
Federalism
• American system of government in which the powers of
government are divided between the national government,
which governs the whole nation, and the state governments
which govern the people of each state, creating what is
often called a federation.
Federalism
The 10th Amendment to the Constitution
allows for the doctrine of Federalism
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are
reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
Should the states have more power to govern its citizens than
the federal government, why or why not?
Federalism around the world
Purposes of Government
• Outlined in the
Preamble of the
United States
Constitution, it was
the Founding Fathers'
intent to have the
federal government
perform six
fundamental
functions.
The first part of the Constitution is called the Preamble.
It tells what our founding fathers set out to do
We the people
In order to form a more perfect union,
Establish justice, insure domestic tranquility,
Provide for the common defense,
Promote the general welfare and
Secure the blessings of liberty
To ourselves and our posterity
Do ordain and establish this Constitution
for the United States of America.
Form a more perfect union
• While initially, the
colonies weren't
united, they soon
came to realize that
there is strength in
solidarity and as such
formed an alliance
with one another.
The Constitution
provide for such a
union.
Establish Justice
• Though the term justice is
open to interpretation,
the explanation most
widely accepted is that
the law must be fair,
unbiased, and logical.
While these standards we
are not always met within
this nation, the American
people wish to strive for
such ideals.
Common Defense
• Provide a military to defend its citizens and
territories against the enemies of the state.
Secure the blessings of liberty
• The American nation was
built around the ideals of
individual freedom and
liberty, however, the
Founding Fathers also
came to the realization
that certain boundaries
must be set forth in order
to ensure that such
liberties would not breach
those of other citizens'.
Promote the General Welfare
• The role of the
government to provide
the American people
with services and
regulations that are for
the public good. Such
regulations may include
health and food
standards, public
education, and
consumer protection.
Insure Domestic Tranquility
• The government must provide order in society
and allow for domestic peace. It must also
present the nation from ever ascending into
anarchy.