Popular Sovereignty People give government the power to rule Limited Government Government is NOT all powerful; can only do what people give it power to do Separation of Powers Three branches – executive, legislative, judicial…all separate, but equal in powers Checks and Balances Each branch can check the other two branches to avoid too much power in one branch Judicial Review Courts can declare something unconstitutional if laws don’t meet the intent of the Constitution Federalism National government has power, but also state governments have power as well

The United States Constitution is over two hundred years old. It is the longest written constitution in the world. It has lasted as the country has changed dramatically. The reason why… Formal Amendments – written additions and/or changes to the Constitution Proposed by 2/3 vote in each House of Congress and ratified by 3/4 of state legislatures Proposed by Congress and then ratified in a special convention called for in 3/4 of the states Proposed by a national convention called by Congress at the request of 2/3 of the state legislatures Proposed by a national convention and ratified by conventions in 3/4 of the states

Informal Amendments to the Constitution are… Changes to the Constitution that have not actually changed what is written in the Constitution The Laws Themselves… Thousands have been passed since the Constitution was written The Power of the President Presidents today are much more powerful than they were 200 years ago Court Decisions The Supreme Court has had thousands of decisions since the Constitution was written Customs Throughout history, times have changed how Americans do things