Chapter 3 – Principles and Goals of US Government12th Grade POD
Ms. Nestico
Five Principles of American Government Limited Government Popular Sovereignty Separation of Powers Checks and Balances Federalism
Limited Government Government does not have authority in all
matters – people have rights Based on John Locke and Tommy J.’s notion
that people have certain “natural rights” Found today in our constitution in the
Popular Sovereignty Popular = majority of people Sovereignty = the right to rule oneself Examples found in Amendments to the US
Constitution that extended popular sovereignty (5):
Separation of Powers Divides power between three branches of
government: legislative, executive and judicial
Power split to prevent any one person or group from acquiring too much power
Checks and Balances Each branch of government is granted powers
that automatically “check” the powers of the others
Example: while the Legislative branch has the power to make a law, the Executive branch may veto it, and the Judicial branch has the power of “judicial review”
Federalism Power is divided between a national government
and its subdivisions (states) Certain powers granted ONLY to the states while
others are granted ONLY to the federal government. Supremacy Clause– Article VI, Clause 2 – the law
according to the federal Constitution remains supreme
Judicial Review used frequently regarding this principle
Federalism and Judicial Review Judicial Review – Supreme Court can
overturn a law, but can’t make a new law or enforce one
Marbury vs. Madison (1803) – rendered as the first case that established judicial review
Parts of the US Constitution Preamble
Articles (7)
Amendments (27) Bill of Rights -- 1 through 10 Remaining 17 Amendments added through time
Preamble – Six Goals of American Government Form a more perfect union Establish justice Insure domestic tranquility Provide for the common defense Promote the general welfare Secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves
and our posterity
1. Form a More Perfect Union
2. Establish Justice To make things fair and equal for all
over time, the translation continues to change As with popular sovereignty, it is reflected in the
amendments
Established a federal court system How are we still meeting this goal today?
3. Insure Domestic Tranquility Domestic = “home” Tranquility = “peace”
Therefore, this goal seeks to assure we have peace here at home within our own country
Established criminal laws, police forces, etc. How are we still meeting this goal today?
4. Provide for the Common Defense As opposed to domestic tranquility, this goal
is set to protect America from foreign invasion – outside of the US.
Establishes a military, Homeland Security, etc.
How are we still meeting this goal today?
5. Promote the General Welfare Founders felt that no person should suffer from
Disease Hunger Poverty Following the Great Depression, many welfare
programs were started to combat these societal issues
How are we still meeting this goal today?
6. Secure the Blessings of Liberty for ourselves and our Posterity
Posterity = children or generations to come The founders set this goal to assure when
writing the constitution that it could not easily be changed so that freedom would be secure for all for a very long time
How are we still meeting this goal today?
Articles I. The Legislature (Congress) II. The Executive Branch (President) III. The Judicial Branch (Supreme Court) IV. Full Faith & Credit Clause V. How to amend the Constitution VI. National Supremacy Clause VII. Ratification of the Constitution
Amendments – Bill of Rights 1st – Right to free speech, assembly, petition,
press, etc. 2nd – Right to bear arms 3rd – No quartering of troops 4th – Right to privacy – no illegal search and
seizure 5th – Protection against double jeopardy and
self-incrimination
Amendments – Bill of Rights 6th – Due Process rights in criminal proceedings
7th – Due Process right of a jury trial extended to civil proceedings
8th – Protection from Cruel and Unusual Punishment and Excessive Bail
Amendments – Bill of Rights 9th – Enumerated rights - other rights aside
from those listed may exist, and just because they are not listed doesn't mean they can be violated.
10th – Powers reserved to the States/People - any power not granted to the federal government belongs to the states or to the people
News Article Assignment–Principles of American Government In groups of four, search, read and choose 4
news articles pertaining to America or American Government online and print them.
CNN Fox news online MSNBC Online You must be able to apply one or more of the
5 principles of government to each article Each person in the group should be assigned a
specific principle of government
Article Assignment - continued The following must be answered regarding each
article:
1. Provide a thorough, written summary of the article
2. Identify the primary principle of government that applies
to the article and explain how/why.
3. Determine if the article is a positive or negative example
of the principle at hand and explain
4. Identify any other principles that may apply and explain
how/why.
5. In your opinion, is the way the government principle
being applied in this article what the Framers had in mind?