1. Principles of the Constitution

2. The Constitution Preamble: The Intro Articles: The Main Ideas
Form a more
Perfect union
Establish Justice
Insure domestic
Tranquility
Provide for the common defense
Promote the general welfare
Secure the blessings of liberty
Articles:
The Main Ideas
7 Articles created
Three branches and describe rules for how government will work.
Reflect principles
for government.
Amendments: Changes
First Ten are the Bill of Rights (1791)
The Bill of Rights ensures the government will protect personal freedoms.
Total of 27 Amendments

4. Congress has more power 1. It has more members
2. They are more directly
responsible for representing
the views of the people.

5. “Congress” = House of Representatives and the Senate
Congress has 535 voting members: 435 Representatives and 100 Senators. House of Representatives is based on the State’s population- determined by the Census. Every state must have at least one Representative. Senate is 2 per state. In addition to the 435 members, The House of Representatives has six “non-voting” members representing Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington D.C.

6. Basic Principles Popular Sovereignty Limited Government
Separation of Powers
Checks and Balances
Judicial Review
Federalism

7. Popular Sovereignty Power to govern belongs to the people.
Government must be based
on the consent of the governed.
Expanded by amendments
15: right to vote to non-whites
19: right to vote to women
26: right to vote to 18 year olds.

8. Limited Government
Guarantees that government does not hold all the power
Guarantees government does only those things that people allow it to do.
Examples: Presidents can be impeached, representatives voted out of office, judges denied confirmation by the Senate.

9. Separation of Powers
Division of Government’s powers into three separate branches.
President: execute/administer laws
Congress: make laws
Courts: interpret/apply laws

10. Checks and Balances
Each branch of government has some control over the others.
Example:
Congress passes laws, but the President may veto those laws.
Congress may refuse to provide funds the President requests for implementing programs.

11. Judicial Review
The story behind this principle: President Adams, on the
last night of his term in office, appointed Marbury as a
judge. The next day the new President, Jefferson took
over. The Commission for Marbury was never delivered.
Marbury sued for his appointment.
1803 Supreme Court ruled that it did indeed have the power to abolish legislative or executive acts: by declaring them “unconstitutional”.
This power will become known as “Judicial Review”
Judicial Review helped to define the boundary between legislative and executive powers.

13. k

14. Federalism
Division of governmental power between the national and state governments.
Federal Powers only: expressed and implied
State powers only: reserved
Both state and federal: concurrent powers