CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES ASSIGNMENT
The US Constitution is the building blocks to which our society flourishes. But what are the
principles inside this document that make it such? (Reviewing the Constitution’s Big Ideas with
Primary Sources, 2020) state they are limited government; checks and balances; separation of
powers; and popular sovereignty. What does each of these means?
In my paper I will break down what each of these subjects mean and how they relate to
each other. I will finish by stating what the goal of these principles are for our society.
Principles
The first principle we will be discussing is limited government. Limited government is a
theory of governance in which the government only has those powers delegated to it by law,
often through a written constitution. (Limited Government, n.d.) What does this mean in simpler
terms? It means our government is only as the law allows it to be. For example, the president is
the people elected leader of our country. So, he can try to forgive all loan debts. But only through
proper approval in conjunction with the other branches can he make it happen. This is called
Checks and balances.
As you can guess the next principle, I will be talking about is checks and balances. The
Cornell Law School defines checks and balances as “The Checks and Balances system provides
each branch of government with individual powers to check the other branches and prevent any
one branch from becoming too powerful.” (Cornell Law School, n.d.) Just like with limited
government, I will be breaking down What checks and balances means in simpler terms. Checks
and balances mean that one branch can veto anothers idea on different grounds. Let us use the
forgiving all loan debts example from before. Congress (legislative branch) can veto the
presidents (executive branch) bill on the grounds that the is no money in the budget or the
supreme court can state on of the other two are going against or it within the constitution.
As you can see all these branches have separate powers which they control. The president
or executive branch can conducts diplomacy with other nations, and the President has the power
to negotiate and sign treaties, which must be ratified by two-thirds of the Senate. The President
can issue executive orders, which direct executive officers or clarify and help implement existing
laws. (The Executive Branch – the White House, n.d.) The legislative branch can draft proposed
laws, confirm or reject presidential nominations for heads of federal agencies, federal judges, and
the Supreme Court, having the authority to declare war. Finally, the judicial branch can interpret
the meaning of laws, applying laws to individual cases, deciding if laws violate the Constitution
(USA Gov, 2023)
With all these powerful government branches, how is it decided who will do what? That
is decided by what is called popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty according to Webster
Dictionary is “a doctrine in political theory that government is created by and subject to the will
of the people.” This means that these branches of government are created by people for the
people or as the constitution puts it “the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new government.”
As you can see each of these principles relates to each other. They either explain each
other or they set the groundwork for the next principle. But what is the goal of these principles?
Well, the goal as mentioned in the preamble of the constitution is “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.”
(United States Courts, 2019) That is to say that the goals of these principles is to establish a
country that is not rule by one powerful person but instead a republic that is built on the choices
of the people. As well as allow the people of said country to have the natural right and the God
References
Cornell Law School. (n.d.). Separation of Powers. LII / Legal Information Institute.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/separation_of_powers_0#:~:text=The%20Checks%20and
%20Balances%20system%20provides%20each%20branch%20of%20government
Definition of POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY. (2019). Merriam-Webster.com. https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/popular%20sovereignty
Limited government. (n.d.). Ballotpedia.
https://ballotpedia.org/Limited_government#:~:text=Limited%20government%20is%20a
%20theory
Reviewing the Constitution’s Big Ideas with Primary Sources. (2020, February 25). National
Archives. https://www.archives.gov/legislative/resources/education/reviewing-big-
ideas#:~:text=Additional%20Resources
The Executive Branch – The White House. (n.d.). Trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov.
https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/about-the-white-house/the-executive-branch/
#:~:text=The%20Executive%20Branch%20conducts%20diplomacy
United States Courts. (2019). The U.S. Constitution: Preamble. United States Courts.
https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-
outreach/activity-resources/us
USA Gov. (2023, December 6). Branches of the U.S. Government . Usa.gov; USAGov.
https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government
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