Review of Chapter Three

The United States Constitution

The American Constitution originally consisted of a PreamblePreamble, or introduction, and seven sections called articles.articles.

The Framers developed the Preamble and articles around six broad ideas or principles.

1. Popular sovereignty Popular sovereignty is the idea that the people are the source of power held by the government.

John Locke

2. Limited government Limited government means that the government possesses only the powers people give it – the government must obey the Constitution.

This principle is also known as constitutionalism.constitutionalism.

This means that government officials are subject to the rule of rule of law law – they must always obey the law and are never above it.

3. Separation of powers Separation of powers establishes three branches that share the government’s power.

4. The Constitution uses a system of checks and checks and balances balances to ensure that none of the three branches can become too powerful.

Each branch has ways to limit the power of the other two.

An example of this principle is the power of the President to vetoveto, or reject, any act of Congress.

Congress may override a veto with a two-thirds vote in each house.

5. Judicial Review Judicial Review is the power of the courts to decide what the Constitution means.

The courts also have the power to declare a government action against the Constitution, or unconstitutional.unconstitutional.

6. The Framers used the principle of federalism federalism to divide power between the central government and the States.

SUMMARY: SUMMARY: Six Constitutional Principles

Principles of the U.S. Constitution

Popular Sovereignty

Limited Government

Separation of Powers

Checks and Balances

Judicial Review

Federalism

The Constitution & the government of the USA are based on these six ideas

The Constitution is based on six broad principles: popular

sovereignty, limited government, separation of

powers, checks and balances, judicial review, and

federalism.

Chapter Three – The Constitution

Formal Amendment

The Constitution has lasted more than 200 years because it has changed with the times.

Many of its words and their meanings are the same, but some words have been changed, eliminated, or added – and some of the meanings have been modified as well.

The alterations to the Constitution have occurred in two ways: either through formal or informal amendmentsamendments, or changes.

A formal amendment formal amendment is a change to the Constitution’s written words.

The Framers created four ways to make such changes by following the principle of federalism

First, amendments are proposed at the national level – either by Congress or at a national convention

Then they are ratified at the State level – either in the State legislatures of by State conventions.

This method has been used for all but one of the 27 amendments.

The first ten amendments are called the Bill of RightsBill of Rights

Congress proposed all of them in 1789 because many people refused to support the Constitution unless the Federal government protected these basic rights.

GRAPHIC SUMMARY: GRAPHIC SUMMARY: Methods of Formal Amendment

Method One

Congress Proposes

State Legislatures ratify

Method Two

Congress Proposes

State Conventions ratify

Method Three

National Convention Proposes

State Legislatures ratify

Method Four

National Convention proposes

State Conventions RatifyEach of the methods of formally amending the Constitution is based on the principle of federalism

The States approved these ten amendments in 1791.

The other seventeen amendments became part of the Constitution one at a time.

The Framers of the Constitution prepared for changing times by providing for the document’s formal amendment.