What are the main purposes of the Constitution?

Six Basic Principles of the Constitution

1. Popular Sovereignty

A. People want to be governed

2. Limited Government

A. Government is not all powerful

B. Rule of Law: Government and its officers are subject to, never above, the law (i.e. the Clinton scandal)

3. Separation of Powers

A. Article One = Legislative Powers of the National Government

B. Article Two = Executive Powers of the National Government

C. Article Three = Judicial Powers of the National Government

4. Checks and Balances

A. Each branch is subjected to checks by the other branches

5. Judicial Review

A. Government works within the parameters of the Constitution

B. Unconstitutional: to declare illegal / a government action found to violate some provision in the Constitution

6. Federalism

A. Division of power between central and regional governments

Question – The Constitution reflects the framers beliefs about people and their need for government. Based on the six basic principles of the Constitution, what can you conclude about the Framers’ view of human nature?

Alternate Intelligence

What makes my left hand, my right?

A mirror.

A man drove all the way from New York to San Francisco

only to discover at the end of the trip that he had a flat tire

from the very start. Yet his car was completely unaffected by

it? How is this possible?It was his spare tire that was flat.

Name three consecutive days without using the words

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,

Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

I am made of the stuff around me, but lighter than it. More of

me is hidden than seen. What am I?

An iceberg.

There is a word in the English language in which the first two letters signify a man, the first

three signify a woman, the first four signify a great man, and the whole word represents a

great woman. What is the word?

Heroine

FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

 How do we classify governments?

1. Geographic distribution of power

i.e. There are no State governments: all governmental authority rests with the National Government in Washington, D.C.

Geographic Distribution of power

• Unitary government – a centralized government (all powers held by the gov’t belong to a central agency

Geographic Distribution of power

• Federal government – the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments.

Geographic Distribution of power

• Confederation – an alliance of independent states that has power to handle only those matters that the member states have assigned to it.

 How do we classify governments?

2. Relationship between the legislative and executive branches

i.e. the President is elected by the Senate, not by the people

Relationship between Legislative and Executive

Branches• Presidential government –

separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches of the government. (they are independent and coequal)

Relationship between Legislative and Executive

Branches• Parliamentary government – exec.

is chosen by the legislative branch. This makes the Prime Minister directly responsive to the Leg. Branch, instead of the people.

 Presidential and Parliamentary:

• Pres. = voters vote on legislature and chief executive. (Those branches choose the judicial branch.)

Parl. = voters choose legislatures, who in-turn choose the exec. – (together they choose the judicial branch.)

 How do we classify governments?

3. Number of people who participate in governing

i.e. One self-appointed legislative body rules the country.

Number who can participate

• Dictatorship – those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people. (Oldest and most common form of government)

Number who can participate

• Democracy – supreme political authority rests with the people. (gov’t is conducted only by and with the consent of the people)

Number who can participate

• Direct democracy v. representative democracy (+/-)

Dir.: people vote directly on every issue

Rep.: people vote on the people who vote on every issue