• Popular Sovereignty- people rule; people hold final authority over government- “we the people”
• Republicanism- election of representatives by the people to represent the people; people have the power in govt through voting.
• Federalism- the balance of power between the state and federal government
• Separation of Powers- there branches of government and each has their own individual job.
• Checks and Balances- each branch has separate and equal powers but checks on each other to insure no branch becomes too powerful or abuses their power.
• Limited Government- the government must follow the same laws as the citizens.
• Individual Rights- the rights guaranteed to the people, protected by the government.

• Executive- President, Vice President and Cabinet; enforces the laws
• Judicial (Judiciary)- Supreme Court and smaller
Federal Courts; interprets laws
• Legislative- Congress has two houses; makes the laws
– Senate- Each state elects two; total=100
– House of Representatives- decided by population of the state, large states receive more reps than small states; total=435