7 Principles of the Constitution
Popular Sovereignty
Definition: A government in which the people rule.
Two examples of popular sovereignty in the constitution are the
ninth and tenth amendments to the constitution saying "The
enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be
construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people" and
"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." Another example is back
during the Civil War when states were slave states and free states,
the government didn't decide or dictate which states were free or
slave, they voted on it and decided for themselves. The power lay
within the choice of the people.
Republicanism
Definition: The people exercise their power by
voting for their political representatives.
For example, every four years the people of the
USA vote for a president who they think can
represent the country.
Limited Government
Definition: Restricts the power of government. This means that
the government has only the powers that the people give it. The
government must obey the Constitution. And the people who
work in government, its officials, must always obey the law.
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE 1: Checks and balances
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE 2: Separation of powers
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE 3: Other examples of limited government
can be found in our Bill of Rights, such as the government cannot
arrest you without a warrant, you cannot be stopped from peacefully
protesting, and your personal privacy cannot be infringed upon for no
reason providing you are not suspect of terrorist activities.
Federalism
Definition: A system of government in which power is
divided between a central government and smaller
political units, such as states.
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE 1: Each of the 50 states has its own state constitution,
which is the law of that area. However, these state constitutions still must abide by
the national (federal) constitution, which is the law for the entire country. People
have to follow both the laws of their states and the United States' laws.
MORE REAL LIFE EXAMPLES: Airport security is not federalism, since only
the federal government does it. An example would be the freeways. They are
owned and operated by the states, but the federal government sets down some basic
guidelines that all states must follow and also provides funding. One example is
split, that would be taxes. There are both state and federal taxes, because both the
state and the head of the country need to collect money to keep things running
smoothly, however federal government does not regulate state taxes.
Separation of Powers
Definition: Three separate parts, or branches, share the
government's power. These branches are the executive
(the president), the legislative (congress), and the
judicial (the courts). Each branch has specific jobs.
REAL LIFE EXAMPLES: The Legislative Branch makes and passes laws. In the
Federal Government and most states this is the House and the Senate. The Judicial
Branch interprets the laws. In the Federal Government and most states this is the
Supreme Court. The Executive Branch, The President in the Federal Government ,
Governors in the States.
Checks and Balances
Definition: Each branch checks on the other branches to make
sure that they are following the Constitution and not breaking the
law. This allows the government to make fair decisions.
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: The legislative branch can vote on and
pass a law they feel is OK. The president, or the executive branch, can
either pass the law off as well or Veto it, meaning the law won't pass.
If the President says the law is Ok, but the supreme court (judiciary
branch) doesn't think it's ok, they hold a court hearing to determine if
the law is constitutional. If the law is deemed constitutional, it stays
but if it is deemed unconstitutional, the law is taken out.
Individual Rights
Definition: Personal liberties and privileges.
The first ten amendments to the Constitution shield people
from an overly powerful government. These amendments
are called the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights guarantees
certain individual rights. For example, government
cannot control what people write or say. People also have
the right to meet peacefully and to ask the government
to correct a problem. Later amendments to the
Constitution also advanced the cause of individual rights.