The Constitution of the United States of America identifies and protects the citizens fundamental rights and liberties. It also states several key principles and purposes of government.
The Constitution begins with the Preamble which outlines the purposes and principles of the Constitution. The Preamble expresses the reasons why the Constitution was written.
The Preamble of the Constitution:
"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
The US Constitution is the written plan for the US government. It describes how the government is organized. The document also describes what the government may and may not do. It gives certain powers to the government and limits other powers.
The Constitution establishes the US government as a democracy and a republic. As a democracy, the government is responsible to the people. As a republic, we elect people to represent us in the government.
In the United States, the government is a representative democracy.
How does a "Representative Democracy" work in the United States?
People are the ultimate source of governmental authority.
Citizens vote to choose representatives to decide issues.
The US Constitution limits the government's powers over the people.
The government cannot restrict the peoples rights identified in the Constitution.
The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States begins with "We the People." The phrase establishes that the power of government comes from the people. This idea is called popular sovereignty. The government only holds power as long as the people agree to be governed. Nothing takes place in the government without the permission, or consent, of the people!
The Constitution gave the Federal Government very specific powers, and it said that all other government responsibilities were to be handled by the States. This system of Federalism preserved the state's authority and acted as an important check on the power of the Federal Government.
The Constitution has seven articles. The first three articles outline the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches. Congress makes up the Legislative Branch, the President leads the Executive Branch, and the Judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court.
Articles I,II & III of the Constitution define the powers of the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches of the National government.
Article I: The Legislative Branch
Article II: The Executive Branch
Article III: The Judicial Branch
Congress makes up the Legislative Branch, the President heads the Executive Branch, and the Supreme Court leads the Judicial Branch.
The founding fathers created the concept of "Separation of Powers" when they created three branches of government. The idea was that the three branches would provide Checks and Balances on each other to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful.
The powers of the national government are separated among three branches of government in ways that limit any one branch from abusing its power. This separation of powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the government can be traced back to early philosophers writings on the subject. The framers of the US Constitution were strongly influenced by these philosophers when they included their ideas in the first three articles of the US Constitution.
James Madison, the "Father of the Constitution", wrote that the separation of powers of the three branches of government should not separate the three branches so completely that they have no constitutional control over each other.
He believe that in order to protect individual rights from the rule of the majority, a system of checks and balances would be needed in government. The system of checks and balances would allow each of the three branches to keep the other two branches in check and, therefore, prevent the abuse of power.
For example, the President prepares the annual budget, but the Congress must check and approve the budget. The President also appoints Judges and Justices, the Congress must confirm or refuse to confirm those choices. Even though the Legislative Branch makes the laws, the President can veto laws that are passed, and the Supreme Court can declare acts of Congress to be unconstitutional.