The document discusses several key principles of the US Constitution, including popular sovereignty, limited government and the rule of law, separation of powers, federalism, and the different types of government power. It explains how popular sovereignty is reflected in voting rights and the election of representatives, and how the rule of law, separation of powers, and checks and balances work to limit government authority and prevent tyranny. It also distinguishes between enumerated, reserved, and concurrent powers held by the federal and state governments.

1. Principles of the Constitution
Learning Goal: Identify and Evaluate the
principles of the United States Government

2. • How is a principle different from a rule?
• Can you name a rule and a principle behind it?
• Can you name some principles you live by?
Do-Now

3. Note-Taking Skills

4. The Declaration of Independence
states popular sovereignty through the
statement that government should
draw their powers: “from the consent
of the governed”. How is this idea
echoed in the Constitution?
• Article IV guarantees
citizens: “A Republican
form of government”
• Framers used republic to
describe a representative
democracy
• Power belongs to the people
• People state their will
through elected
representatives
• Popular Sovereignty is
the idea that power lies
with the people.
Popular Sovereignty

5. • Constitution includes several parts that protect
or ensure the sovereignty if the people.
• The will of the people is stated through
elections.
• By majority vote, citizens decide Congressmen
• Through the Electoral College, voters choose
the President and VP
• Originally the founders allowed the states to
decide voter qualifications
• Adult citizens of the United States who are
residents of one of the 50 states or sometimes
the District of Columbia may not be restrained
from voting for a variety of protected reasons,
stated in the aforementioned 15th, 19th, 24th
and 26th Amendments
Example of Popular Sovereignty

6. • How does voting ensure the “consent of the governed”?
• Voters can replace officials who do not serve them well by
Review- Analyzing
electing others
• What do you think the United States would be like if
leaders did not respect the idea of popular sovereignty?

7. Limited Government and
the Rule of Law

8. • “In framing a government which
is to be administered [run] by
men over men, the great
difficulty lies in this: you must
first enable the government to
control the governed and in the
next place oblige [require] it to
control itself”
How would you
rephrase this statement
so that it explains in
simple terms what
Madison meant when
he explained “the great
difficulty lies in this”?
A government needs to be given the
power to control the people it governs,
and it must be required to control itself,
too.
Primary Source-
James Madison, The Federalist, No. 51

9. • The Constitution limits the
power of both the federal and
state governments
• Rule of Law- the principle
that the law applies to
everyone, even those who
govern.
• Thus limited government &
Rule of Law may prevent
tyranny from the
government and protect the
liberty of the people.
Rule of Law
How does the rule of
law help ensure that
government power in
the United States is
limited?

10. • The Framers divided the federal government into 3
branches to protect Americans against the abuse, or
misuse of power.
• The idea was influenced by French thinker Baron de
Montesquieu who believed that people’s liberty could be
protected by assigning legislative, executive and judicial
powers to a separate branch of government
• Separation of Powers- the split of authority among the
legislative, executive and judicial branches.
Separation of Powers

13. • Separation of powers was set up to check unlimited
authority
• However, the Framers feared that one branch of
government could still gain control of the other two
• Checks & Balances- a system in which each branch of
government is able to check, or restrain, the power of the
others.
Checks & Balances

14. Do you think the Framers created an effective form of
government?

15. • Federalism- power
shared between the
national and state
government
• Each level of government
(national and state) has
independent authority
over people at the same
time
Guiding ?: How is power distributed under federalism?
Federalism

16. • How did the Framers of the Constitution attempt to protect Americans
from the abuse of power by the government?
• Do you think these precautions are working?
Critical Thinking

17. • The writers of the Constitution divided the powers of
government into three types.
• Enumerated Powers
• Reserved Powers
• Concurrent Powers
3 Types of Power

18. • Enumerated
Powers: powers
directly granted to the
federal government
by the Constitution
• Enumerated =
“listed” or “spelled
out”
• Strict constructionism
and loose
constructionism
Enumerated Powers

19. • "This government is acknowledged by all, to be one of enumerated
powers. The principle, that it can exercise only the powers granted
to it, would seem too apparent, to have required to be enforced by all
those arguments, which its enlightened friends, while it was
depending before the people, found it necessary to urge; that
principle is now universally admitted."
McCulloch v. Maryland

20. • "We admit, as all must admit, that the powers of the
Government are limited, and that its limits are not to be
transcended. But we think the sound construction of the
Constitution must allow to the national legislature that
discretion with respect to the means by which the powers
it confers are to be carried into execution which will
enable that body to perform the high duties assigned to it
in the manner most beneficial to the people. Let the end
be legitimate, let it be within the scope of the
Constitution, and all means which are appropriate, which
are plainly adapted to that end, which are not prohibited,
but consistent with the letter and spirit of the
Constitution, are constitutional,” –John Marshall
Primary Source- John Marshall

21. Reserved Powers
• Powers the Constitution does
not give to the federal
government, powers set aside
for the states.
• i.e.- regulating trade with state
borders, setting up schools,
and making rules for marriage
and divorce.
Concurrent Powers
• Powers shared by the state and
federal governments
• i.e.- collecting taxes,
borrowing money, and setting
up courts and prisons
Reserved & Concurrent

23. • Supremacy Clause- a clause stating that the Constitution
and other laws and treaties made by the national
government are “the separate Law of the Land”
• Found in Article VI
• b/c the Constitution is the highest law, the national
government is not supposed to act against it
• Likewise, states may do nothing that goes against the
Constitution or Federal law.
The Supremacy
Clause

24. • Can you think of a situation in which the supremacy
clause might take effect?
Critical Thinking

25. • Constitution did not firmly settle the issue of federal and
state powers.
• 1798- urged by Thomas Jefferson, Virginia and Kentucky
resolved that certain laws passed by Congress were void
in their states [invoking the 10th Amendment]
• Congress repealed the laws in question
• In 1830- Carolina passed a similar resolution
• By Compromise the issue was resolved after Jackson
threatened to send federal troops
• Nullification of a federal law by a state was not finally
put to rest until AFTER the Civil War
Content Background

29. • REVIEW
Which of the following is a concurrent power of both national
and state governments?
• A.
regulation of interstate commerce
• B.
the right to declare war
• C.
taxation of exports
• D.
establishment and maintenance of court systems

30. • Review
The US Government is organized to share power between the
national and state government. This structure is also know
as
• A.
socialism
• B.
federalism
• C.
rationalism
• D.
unitary government

31. • Review
The US system of checks and balances allows
• A.
the president to remove the speaker of the House of
Representatives
• B.
Congress to require the president to spend all funds allocated by
Congress
• C.
the Supreme Court to declare a law unconstitutional
• D.
Congress to remove a cabinet member from office

32. • Review
The founders decided that voter qualifications should be
• A.
based on universal manhood suffrage
• B.
left for the individual states to decide
• C.
the same for national, state, and local elections
• D.
open to all regardless of race or gender

33. • Review
The 19th century doctrine of nullification supported the belief
that
• A.
states cannot declare acts of Congress unconstitutional
• B.
states have the right to decide whether or not federal laws will be
followed within their borders
• C.
national supremacy is inevitable
• D.
the national government has power over interstate commerce, and
states over intrastate commerce

34. • Review
One reason that most of the founders were opposed to using
direct democracy as a model for the Constitution was that
• A.
direct democracy had not worked well for the Ancient Greeks
• B.
direct democracy does not allow ordinary people much input into
government decisions
• C.
they feared that direct democracy would lead to chaos and
violence among opposing factions
• D.
they feared that representatives would be allowed too much
power.

35. • Review
Which principle of the Constitution is most directly reflected
in the procedures for creating formal amendments?
• A.
popular sovereignty
• B.
separation of powers
• C.
checks and balances
• D.
Federalism

36. • Of the 5 Principles of the Constitution, which matters the
most to you?
• Write a paragraph identifying the principle that matters
most to you and another paragraph explaining why.
• What are some examples of enumerated, reserved, and
concurrent powers held by your parents or guardians
(who can be compared to a national government), and
yourself (who can be considered a state government)?
Homework