MacGruder's U.S. Government Chapter 3, Section 1 "The Six Basic Principles" of the U.S. Constitution.

1. U.S. Government
Chapter 3 – Section 1

2.  Popular Sovereignty
 Limited Government
 Constitutionalism
 Rule of Law
 Separation of powers
 Checks and balances
 Veto
 Judicial review
 Unconstitutional
 Federalism

3.  Section Objectives:
 Outline the important elements of the Constitution.
 List the six basic principles of the Constitution.
 4.2 – Understand the role of constitutions in
preventing abuses of government power.
 4.6 – Understand the concept of federalism

4.  Constitution establishes the framework for the
U.S. Government. (Like a skeleton, just the
framework)
 Structure
 Procedures
 Limits for government
 Not a long document
 Just over 7,000 words.
 Deals mostly with basic principle and not details.

5.  Simply organized.
 Preamble
 Articles (7)
 Amendments (27)

6.  Simply organized.
 Preamble
 Articles (7)
▪ 1,2,3- Branches of government
▪ 4- Deals with relations between the states and other states,
and states and the federal government
▪ 5- How to amend the Constitution
▪ 6- Supremacy Clause, national debts, national law, oath of
office
▪ 7- Ratification process
 Amendments (27 total)

7.  Constitution built around six basic principles.

8.  All political power resides in the people (the
citizens).
 They are the only source of governmental power
 Government may only govern with the consent of
the governed

9.  No government is all-powerful
 Can only do those things the people have given it the
power to do
 Government must obey the law
 Constitutionalism- government must conduct itself
according to constitutional principles
 Rule of Law- the government and its officials are
always subject to, and never above, the law.

10.  The basic powers of government are divided
among three branches (legislative, executive,
judicial).
 The division of power was designed to help limit
the governments power

11.  The three branches of government are tied to one
another by a complex system of checks and
balances.
 Each branch is subject to a number of constitutional
checks (restraints) by the other branches
 Examples are:
 presidential veto (or to reject a law congress has passed)
 Congress can override a veto with a 2/3 vote
 Senate can refuse to approve a treaty or appointment by
the president
 Supreme Court can overturn a law they find to be
unconstitutional

12. “Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States”
Artist: Howard Chandler Christy

13.  Judicial review is a method of “checks and
balances”
 Power to determine acts of the government
unconstitutional
 Unconstitutional- violating some provision in the
Constitution

14.  Division of power among a central government and
state governments
 This was the solution the Framers developed to create a
strong central government while preserving the
concept of local self-government.

16. Federalism

17. “Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States”
Artist: Howard Chandler Christy