What’s it all about?. Constitutionalism – government must be conducted according to...
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What’s it all about?
The Six Basic Principles
Constitutionalism – government must be conducted according to constitutional principles
Veto – reject or overturn and act of CongressUnconstitutional – declare illegal, null and
void of no force and effect
Quick Vocab
As the “Supreme law of the land” it remains an incredibly important document in our society
It’s 7000 words form the foundation of our government
It has a preamble (introduction) and seven articles27 amendments
It has six basic principlesPopular Sovereignty Limited GovernmentSeparation of PowersChecks and Balances Judicial ReviewFederalism
The Constitution
Popular Sovereignty Quite simply, power
resides with the people
Consent of the governed
First stated in the Declaration, now in the Preamble
Similar concept in each state
Popular Sovereignty
Limited GovernmentNo government is “all-
powerful”Goes hand in hand with
popular sovereigntyThe power comes from
the people, and it only has the authority the people give it
Sometimes referred to as the “rule of law”
Government is always subject to the law
No one is above it
Separation of PowersThis concept was not new
State constitutions during the revolution
Contrast to the current British system
Our government is separated into three distinct branchesCongress makes the lawsPresident
enforces/executes/administers the laws
Federal Courts (Supreme Court) reviews the laws
The system of checks and balances is fairly complexPowers that help check the other two branchesSome examples:
Presidents can veto Congresses bills/lawsCongress can overturn a veto
The President gets to appoint judgesThe Senate can not confirm the appointment
The President commands the armyThere is no army without congress
Because of this system of checks and balances, compromise usually rules the day Judges are generally picked because of their likelihood of
confirmationLaws are passed with their likelihood of signage in mind
Checks and Balances
Checks and Balances
Part of the system of checks and balancesPower (of the courts) to determine if a government
action is legal or illegal (unconstitutional)Held by all federal courts and most state courtsThe concept is not explicitly stated in the constitution
but impliedFirmly established with Marbury v. Madison in 1803Courts generally uphold the governmental position
150 have been overturned on the federal levelOver 1,100 state laws have been ruled unconstitutional
Judicial Review
Judicial Review
FederalismNational government
holds some powerState governments
hold some powerCombination of both
worldsStrong central
government State and local
control as well
Separation of Powershttp://www.c-spanarchives.org/clip/3990284
Limited Governmenthttp://www.c-spanarchives.org/clip/3989793
Checks and Balanceshttp://www.c-spanarchives.org/clip/3989776
Popular Sovereignty http://www.c-spanarchives.org/clip/3989568
Federalismhttp://www.c-spanarchives.org/clip/3989791
Principles in Action