Government

Principles Underlying the Constitution Chapter 3 Section 4

Key Terms Popular Sovereignty: Power lies with the people Rule of law: Law applies to everyone, even those who govern Separation of powers: Split of authority among the three branches of government Checks and balances: System in which each branch of government is able to check, or restrain, the power of the others Expressed powers: Powers that congress has that are specifically listed in the constitution Reserved powers: Powers that the constitution does not give to the national government that are kept by the state Concurrent powers: Powers shared by the state and federal governments

Popular Sovereignty Framers of the const. had vision on how govt. should run: Representative of the people Limited in scope Power divided among different levels To achieve this Framers embraced 5 principles Popular sovereignty Rule of law Separation of powers Checks and balances federalism

Popular Sovereignty Declar. Of Indep.: Constitution: Strong support of P.S. “govt. should draw their power from the consent of the governed.” Constitution: “We the people….” Rights for citizens to vote Exercise in power Elected officials are always accountable to the people

Rule of Law Framers: Govt. should be strong, but not too strong Const. limits the power of federal and state govt. No one may break the law or escape its reach

Separation of Powers Govt. divided into 3 branches Protect against power abuse No one person can rule Best way to protect peoples liberty

Checks and Balances Keeps branches from becoming too powerful Each branch is able to check/restrain the power of the others Examples President can veto laws proposed by congress Congress can block presidential appointments and treaties

Federalism Power shared by national govt. and states Dividing power The Supremacy of the Const.

Dividing Power Article I: Federal govt. may: Make money Make treaties with other nations No states may do those things Expressed powers Reserved powers Regulate trade within state borders Establishing schools Rules for marriage and divorce

Concurrent Powers Authority of states and national govt. overlaps Power to collect taxes Borrow money Set up courts and prisons

The Supremacy of the Const. Article VI: Const. And other laws and treaties created by the govt. shall be supreme law of the land Const. Supreme law Govt. cannot violate it States cannot go against Const. Or federal law

Homework Chapter 3 Section 4 Questions 1-6 Worksheets #37-40