The Basic Principles of the Constitution

1
The Basic Principles of the Constitution
2
Constitution

• constitution (lower case) a document that
  establishes the principles, structure, and laws
  of a government
• Constitution (upper case) the supreme law of
  the United States

3
Popular Sovereignty
The power of the government lies in the hands of
the people
4
We the People . . .do ordain and establish this
Constitution.

• These words are contained in the Constitutions
  Preamble and give expression to the doctrine of
  popular sovereignty, or rule by the people.
• The Constitutions Framers crafted a governing
  document, which they submitted for popular
  ratification, based on the conception that
  ultimate political authority resides not in the
  government or in any single government official,
  but rather, in the people.

5
Representation

• We, the People have responsibility for our
  government, but under our representative
  democracy, we delegate the day-to-day governing
  powers to a body of elected representatives.
  However, this delegation of powers in no way
  diminishes the peoples rights and
  responsibilities as the supreme sovereign. The
  governments legitimacy remains dependent on the
  governed, who retain the inalienable right to
  alter or abolish their government or amend their
  Constitution

6
Limited Government

• The power of the government is limited by the
  people and by the Constitution
• The Rule of Law - both individuals and the
  government must submit to the law's supremacy

7
Rule of Law

• The Framers considered the rule of law essential
  to the safekeeping of social order and civil
  liberties. The rule of law holds that if our
  relationships with each other and with the state
  are governed by a set of rules, rather than by a
  group of individuals, we are less likely to fall
  victim to authoritarian rule.
• The rule of law calls for both individuals and
  the government to submit to the law's supremacy.
  By precluding both the individual and the state
  from transcending the supreme law of the land,
  the Framers constructed another protective layer
  over individual rights and liberties.

8
Federalism
The division of power between the national and
state governments
NATIONAL 
BOTH 
STATE 
9
National
Exclusive Powers 
10
State (and Local)
Reserved Powers 
11
Both
ConcurrentPowers
12
Separation of Powers
Power in government is separated between three
branches
13
Three Separate Branches

• By distributing the essential business of
  government among three separate but
  interdependent branches, the Constitutional
  Framers ensured that the principal powers of the
  government (legislative, executive and judicial)
  were not concentrated in the hands of any single
  branch.
• Allocating governmental authority among three
  separate branches also prevented the formation of
  too strong a national government capable of
  overpowering the individual state governments.

14
Overlapping Powers

• Governmental powers and responsibilities
  intentionally overlap. For example, congressional
  authority to enact laws can be checked by an
  executive veto, which in turn can be overridden
  by a two-thirds majority vote in both houses.
• The President serves as commander-in-chief, but
  only the Congress has the authority to raise and
  support an army, and to declare war.

15

• The President has the power to appoint all
  federal judges, ambassadors, and other high
  government officials, but all appointments must
  be affirmed by the Senate.
• The Supreme Court has final authority to strike
  down both legislative and presidential acts as
  unconstitutional.
• This balancing of power is intended to ensure
  that no one branch grows too powerful and
  dominates the national government.

16
Checks and Balances
Each branch can check the other branches, so that
one branch doesnt become too powerful