2. To balance liberty with STRONG
GOVERNMENT, the framers of the CONSTITUTION
relied on five principles or rules. One principle is
POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY, which is based on the
notion that government gets its power from “THE
CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED.”
Colonial leaders, however, did not want to
encourage mob rule, or rule by a lawless mass of
people. Therefore, they established
REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY, in which people
elect leaders to make decisions for them.
3. Another guiding principle of the CONSTITUTION is
the notion of LIMITED GOVERNMENT, or a
government that does not have absolute authority.
This principle helps to guard against TYRANNY, or
cruel and unjust rule.
The principle of FEDERALISM calls for states and
national government to share power.
To prevent arguments between FEDERAL and STATE
governments, the framers of the CONSTITUTION
delegated certain powers to the FEDERAL government
and reserved others for the STATE.
The Constitution’s SUPREMACY CLAUSE, found in
ARTICLE VI, states that the Constitution and the
national government are the “SUPREME LAW OF THE
LAND.”
4. The principle of SEPARATION OF POWERS divides the
government into THREE branches in order to keep
government from becoming too big and powerful.
The principle of CHECKS AND BALANCES aims to keep
one branch of government from gaining too much
power.
The PRESIDENT can check CONGRESS by vetoing a bill
CONGRESS passes.
CONGRESS can check the PRESIDENT by overriding
the PRESIDENT’S veto.
The JUDICIAL BRANCH can check the legislative and
executive branches by DECLARING LAWS
UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
