Principles of the Constitution How it all fits together

The Preamble The Preamble: the very first paragraph of the Constitution declares what the _________ of the U.S. government is. “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, [1] promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” [1] purpose

“We the people…” Popular Sovereignty: The __________ have the __________ in America, it is a democracy! people power

“In order to form a more perfect union…” To create a more “perfect union” is to strive to bring the ________ and the _________ closer together and make this country better. As close as to __________ as possible. states people perfection

“Establish justice…” Justice means to make sure that every American is treated ________. fairly

“Ensure domestic tranquility…” To make sure that everyone is safe ________ and in _________. To keep the peace. physically property

“Provide for the common defense…” To be ready to protect citizens from __________ ______. militaryattack

“Promote the general welfare…” To help the citizens to create a better _________ of _________. -In other words to make a better life for people. standardliving

“Secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity...” Posterity: _________ generations. To make sure _________ lasts for many years to come. future freedom

“Do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” This Constitution is A-Okay for America!

5 Basic Principles of the U.S. Constitution

Popular Sovereignty 1. Popular Sovereignty: The People have the power!

Limited Government 2. Limited Government: The government is NOT _________ _______________ and is limited by what is allowed in the __________________. allpowerful Constitution

Federalism 3. Federalism: A form of government in which power is _________between the ___________ government (the National Government) and the ________ governments. shared Federal state

Types of Power Expressed/Enumerate/Delegated Power: a power (such as declaring war) that only the ________(the National Government in Washington D.C.) has. It is in the Constitution. Federal

Types of Power Reserved Powers: Power (like establishing cities and towns) that only the __________ _________________(our state government in Raleigh) have. Not in U.S. Constitution, so it is reserved for the states (10 th Amendment). state governments

Types of Power Concurrent Powers: Power (like taxing citizens) that ________ ________________have. both governments

Separation of Powers 4. Separation of Powers: to have important governmental powers _____into three so no one has more ____________ than the other. split power

Checks and Balances 5. Checks and Balances: Each branch will have the ability to check, or ________, the power of another branch. Examples include: – Congress can remove a president from office. – President can veto laws passed by Congress. – Supreme Court can declare acts of Congress and president unconstitutional and void. limit

3 Important Clauses of the Constitution The Constitution is a contract between the government and the people. Clauses are rules and provisions that make up a contract. Not that Claus

Supremacy Clause Supremacy Clause: The Constitution is the _____________ law of the land; nothing is above or can override it. ___________ Law must follow the Constitution. ___________ law cannot conflict with Federal law, if it does then Federal law is supreme (to be followed). supreme Federal State

Necessary and Proper Clause Necessary and Proper Clause: This gives the federal government __________ powers, things not listed in the Constitution as a power of Congress but is assumed. Also known as the __________ clause because it allows Congress to ________ its power. – Example: The Constitution does not say Congress can create an ______ __________. But they can create a ____________, and it is implied that the Air Force is a part of the military. implied elastic stretch airforce military

Elastic Clause Power stretches so that Congress can do more things with their expressed powers. For instance, Congress has the power to print money, so they used that power to create the Federal Reserve, who is responsible for printing the money, even though the Constitution doesn’t say they can do this.

Full Faith and Credit Clause Full Faith and Credit Clause: Each state must recognize the ________ decisions and ____________ documents of other states. – Example: If you are __________ in NC you are married everywhere because the other states recognize a NC Marriage Certificate. The same is true for driver’s licenses. court legal married