Entitle these pages as: CH-1 C onstitution H andbook -1

1. Entitle these pages as:CH-1Constitution Handbook-1

2. Copy this on Portfolio p31 The Seven Principles of the Constitution

3. 32 • These ‘goals’ are found • in “The Preamble”

4. Lesson C–1: The Seven Principles of the Constitution Today we will define and discuss the seven principles of the Constitution.

5. Vocabulary • The Framers – those men who first wrote the Constitution • sovereignty – the ability and authority to make your own decisions and control your own life • check – a limitation or control of someone else’s power

6. What We Already Know American colonists fought for independence so they could create a government that protected the rights of the people.

7. What We Already Know To guarantee that their rights would not be threatened, Americans intentionally created a government that was very weak.

8. What We Already Know When the Articles of Confederation proved inadequate to deal with the nation’s problems, a new and stronger government was created under the U.S. Constitution.

9. The Framers of the Constitution constructed a new system of government based on seven principles. Together they form the foundation of theUnited StatesConstitution.

10. Popular Sovereignty • The Constitution begins with these words: “We the people of the United States . . . establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” • These words clearly spell out the source of the government’s power. • The American form of government comes from a school of political thought called classical liberalism, which emphasizes freedom, democracy, and the importance of the individual.

11. Civic Republicanism It stresses liberty and inalienable rights as central values, makes the people as a whole sovereign, supports activist government to promote the common good, rejects inherited political power, expects citizens to be independent in their performance of civic duties, and vilifies corruption.

12. Popular Sovereignty By blending ideas from classic liberalism andcivic republicanism, the Constitution formed a government that is responsible to the people and works for their benefit.

13. 2. The Constitution’s classical liberalism emphasizes • the role of government in protecting the rights of the people. • personal responsibility and freedom of choice. • the separation of the government into multiple branches. • the sharing of power between the states and the central government. • the role of the people ruling through their elected representatives.

14. By blending ideas from classic liberalismandcivic republicanism, the Constitution formed a government that • can be changed very easily. • is responsible to the people and works for their benefit. • should be the model for the governments of other nations. • resembles that of ancient Greece and Rome.

15. Popular Sovereignty • The Constitution rests on the idea of popular sovereignty – a government in which the people rule. • As the nation changed and grew, a broader range of Americans shared in the power to govern themselves.

16. Popular sovereignty is the idea that the government’s authority comes from the people and reflects the people’s will. • This philosophy had its roots in classical Greece and the Roman republic. • It was expressed again during the Enlightenment by such political writers as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. • The Framers were deeply influenced by these ideas.

17. The Seven Principles of the Constitution

18. Republicanism • The Framers of the Constitution wanted the people to have a voice in government. • Yet the Framers also doubted that the people would always make sound decisions. • To solve this problem, they looked to republicanism as a model of government.

19. Republicanism • Republicanism is the belief that the peoplerule by electing their political representatives. • For this reason, republicanism is sometimes called representative democracy. • According to the Framers, these elected lawmakers play the key role in making a republican government work. • Civic Republicanism is the idea that citizens stay informed about politics and participate in the process.

20. 4. How does republicanism provide the most basic opportunity for citizens to participate in the political process? • By empowering them to elect justices to the Supreme Court • By creating an electoral college to select the President of the United States • By providing for a public referendum on all new laws passed by Congress • By allowing them to elect Representatives and Senators

21. The Seven Principles of the Constitution

22. Federalism • The Framers wanted the states and the nation to become partners in governing, so they turned to federalism. • Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between a central government and the states. • In the early years of the United States, federalism was closely related to dual sovereignty, the idea that the powers of the federal government and the states were clearly defined, and each had exclusive power over their own spheres with little overlap.

23. Federalism • In the early years of the United States, federalism was closely related to dual sovereignty, the idea that the powers of the federal governmentand the states were clearly defined, and each had exclusive power over their own spheres with little overlap.

24. Federalism • Under federalism, the Constitution assigns certain powers to the national government. • These are delegated powers. • Powers kept by the states are reserved powers. • Powers shared or exercised by bothnationalandstate governments are known as concurrent powers.

25. Federalism

26. reserved powers delegated powers concurrent powers powers shared or exercised by national and state governments powers assigned to the federal government powers kept by the state governments 7. Match each term with its correct description.

27. The Seven Principles of the Constitution

28. Separation of Powers • To prevent too much power falling into the hands of a single group, the Framers built the idea of separation of powers into the Constitution. • The Constitution divides the basic roles of government into branches.

29. The Seven Principles of the Constitution

30. Checks and Balances • Baron de Montesquieu, a French thinker of the Enlightenment, first wrote about the principle of checks and balances. • The Framers included a system of checks and balances in the Constitution to help make sure that the power of government is limited and that the branches work together fairly.

31. Checks and Balances • Each branch of government can exercise checks, or controls, over the other branches. • Though the branches of government are separate, they work together to perform the work of government.

32. The Seven Principles of the Constitution

33. Limited Government • The Framers limited the power of government by denying specific powers to the Congress. • The Constitution also forbids the states to take certain actions. • These were the delegated and reserved powers discussed earlier.

34. Limited Government • The principle of limited government is also closely related to the “rule of law.” • In the American government, everyone must obey the law, even the president. • This principle of government prevents the abuse of power by powerful people.

35. The Seven Principles of the Constitution

36. Individual Rights • The first ten amendments to the Constitution protect people from an overly powerful government. • These amendments are called the Bill of Rights, and they guarantee certain individual rights, or personal liberties and privileges.

37. Individual Rights • For example, the government cannot control what people believe, think, write, or say. • People also have the right to gather peacefully and to ask the government to correct a problem. • Later amendments to the Constitution also advanced the cause of individual rights.

38. The Seven Principles of the Constitution

39. 1. Which of the following are NOT among the seven principles of the Constitution? • Popular sovereignty and republicanism • Federalism and individual rights • Personal responsibility and freedom of choice • Separation of powers and limited government • Checks and balances

40. 9. How does the principle of checks and balances operate? • It divides the powers of government between the states and the federal government. • It makes it possible to change the Constitution over time. • It balances the needs of the government with the rights of the individual citizen. • It gives each branch of government ways to limit the powers of the other two branches.

41. 10. What part of the Constitution that protects individual rights? • The Bill of Rights • The principle of popular sovereignty • The Preamble • The elastic clause