Key Principles

Each branch of government has the power to check, or limit, the actions of the other two. 

• Federalism
• Limited Government
• Checks and Balances
• Popular Sovereignty

Popular Sovereignty

• each branch has the power to check the actions of the other two
• the government has only the powers that the Constitution gives it
• division of power between the federal government and the states
• asserts that the people have the primary source of the government's authority

Government has only the powers that the Constitution gives it

• limited government
• popular sovereignty
• federalism
• judicial review

Division of power between the federal government and the states

• separation of powers
• federalism
• checks and balances
• judicial review

Principle that the Supreme Court has the right to decide whether acts of Congress are constitutional or not

• federalism
• limited government
• judicial review
• republicanism

Separation of Powers

• the people are the primary source of the government's authority
• the government is divided into three branches & each branch has its own duties
• each branch of government has the power to check the actions of the other two
• division of power between the federal government and the states

Freedoms that the government promises to protect

• republicanism

• federalism

• individual rights

• checks and balances

The people exercise their power by voting for their political representatives.

• federalism

• republicanism

• popular sovereignty

• individual rights