Basic Principles of the Constitution

The power to rule belongs to the people. People of the nation are the sources of government power. The government can govern only with the consent of the governed.

• Limited government

• Popular sovereignty

• Judicial review

• Federalism

Government is not all powerful; it can do only those things that the people have given it the power to do. Government must obey the law. This is referred to as “rule of law” or “constitutionalism.” The government and government officials are subject to the law, never “above the law.”

• Limited government

• Judicial review

• Popular sovereignty

• Checks and balances

The Constitution distributes the powers of the central government among the three branches—legislative, executive, judicial. Each branch has its own responsibilities. Each branch addresses different tasks of the whole society . . . separation of powers is meant to increase the efficiency of government.

• Checks and balances

• Judicial review

• Limited government

• Separation of powers

Each branch of the government would have some control over the other branches. The principle of checks and balances would prevent any one branch from ignoring or overriding the decisions of the other branches.

• Limited government

• Popular sovereignty

• Checks and balances

• Separation of power

This is the power of the Supreme Court to declare an act of Congress to be unconstitutional. Nowhere in the Constitution is this power stated. However, the interpretation of the Supremacy Clause by Chief Justice Marshall in the case of Marbury v. Madison (1803) set a precedent for the Court to act as the guardian of the Constitution.

• Judicial review

• Federalism

• Checks and balances

• Popular sovereignty

The Constitution divided the powers of gov’t between the central or national gov’t and the state or regional governments. Neither kind of government was given all the powers. They are independent of each other in terms of certain powers; however, they must cooperate on certain shared or concurrent powers.

• Federalism

• Judicial review

• Checks and balances

• Popular sovereignty

Which constitutional provision is identified with the concept consent of the governed?

• rule of law/limited goverenment

• popular sovereignty

• checks and balances

• separation of powers

Before the U.S. Constitution was adopted, each state held a ratifying convention to discuss and vote on the Constitution. Alexander Hamilton attended the New York State ratification convention. A quote from one of his speeches during the convention is shown...

"Here [in the US House of Representatives], sir, the people govern; here they act by their immediate representatives."

What basic principle of government is Hamilton highlighting in this quote?

• federalism

• limited government

• popular sovereignty

• separation of powers