Chapter 3 – Principles And Goals Of Us

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?