American%20Government%20and%20Economics:%20Unit%203:%20The%20US%20Constitution

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American Government and EconomicsUnit 3 The US
Constitution

• Mr. Chortanoff
• Overview and Insights
• Chapter 3

If men were angels, no government would be
necessary. James Madison
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The Big Idea The Constitution and the Bill of
Rights establishes a framework for government and
guarantees individual libertiesUnit Essential
QuestionWhat are the different parts of the
Constitution and how are your rights protected?
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4 Concepts E.Qs.

• Basic Principles
• What are the basic principles of the US
  Constitution?
• What purposes do the principles of the US
  Constitution serve?
• Articles
• What are the Articles of the US Constitution?
• How do the Articles of the US Constitution
• establish a framework for our government?
• Bill of Rights/Amendments
• What are the amendments to the US Constitution?
• Amendment Process
• What is the formal amendment process?
• Why are the amendments necessary?

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Unit 3CHAPTER 3

• THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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PRINCIPLES OF THE CONSTITUTION

• POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY people are the source for
  government (not God, nature, or war/generals)
• LIMITED GOVERNMENT
• government only does what people/the
  constitution/law says it can (rule of law, not
  men)
• SEPARATION OF POWERS 3 independent branches
• REPUBLICANISM
• Elections are held for, of, and by the people

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Three of the Basic Principles
The principle of popular sovereignty asserts that
the people are the source of any and all
government power, and government can exist only
with the consent of the governed. The principle
of limited government states that government is
restricted in what it may do, and each individual
has rights that government cannot take
away. Separation of powers is the principle in
which the executive, legislative, and judicial
branches of government are three independent and
coequal branches of government.
Chapter 3, Section 1
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PRINCIPLES CONTINUED

• CHECKS AND BALANCES
• can restrain other branches (vetoes,
  appointments, etc.)
• JUDICIAL REVIEW
• Supreme Court can declare laws unconstitutional
• FEDERALISM
• Strong central government and division
  of powers
• INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS
• The Bill of Rights protects your civil liberties
  and choices

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The Principles continued

• Checks and balances is the system that allows the
  legislative, executive, and judicial branches to
  check, or restrain, the actions of one another.
• The principle of judicial review consists of the
  power of a court to determine the
  constitutionality of a governmental action.
• Federalism is a system of government in which the
  powers of government are divided between a
  central government and several local governments.

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Amending the Constitution

• The Constitution provides for its own
  amendmentthat is, for changes in its written
  words.
• Article V sets out two methods for the proposal
  and two methods for the ratification of
  constitutional amendments, creating four possible
  methods of formal amendment.

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Formal Amendment Process
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Amending the Constitution

• Formal Passage of legislation by Congress
• Proposed by 2/3 of Congress ratification by ¾ of
  state legislatures or state conventions
• Proposed by a national convention, called by
  Congress at the request of 2/3 of the state
  legislatures ratification by ¾ of state
  legislatures
• Proposal by a national convention ratification
  by ¾ of state conventions
• Informal
• Actions by the President (E.Os, treaties)
• Key decisions of Supreme Court
• Activities of Political Parties
• Customs (presidents cabinet)

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Informal Amendment ProcessExecutive Action and
Court Decisions

• Executive Action
• Presidential actions have produced a number of
  important informal amendments, such as the use of
  the military under the power of commander in
  chief (executive orders)
• An executive agreement is a pact made by the
  President directly with the head of a foreign
  state. (trade, mil.)

• Court Decisions
• The nations courts, most importantly the United
  States Supreme Court, interpret and apply the
  Constitution in many cases they hear.

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An Outline of the Constitution

• The Constitution sets out the basic principles
  upon which government in the United States was
  built.
• The Constitution is a fairly brief document.
• The Constitution is organized into eight
  sections the Preamble and seven articles. The
  original document is followed by 27 amendments.

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Articles of the Constitution

• Article I Legislature
• Article II Executive
• Article III Judiciary
• Article IV Relations of the States to One
  Another
• Article V Process of Amending
• Article VI Federal Supremacy
• Article VII - Ratification

Establish and empower
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AMENDMENTS

• 1ST 10 Amendments to the Constitution make up the
  Bill of Rights
• There have been 27 amendments added in all
• 2 of these (18 and 21- prohibition of alcohol)
  cancel each other out

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Amendments