Our Constitution: The Five Principles Of The Constitution

The Five Principles Our constitution was written to ensure the freedom and liberty of the United States, while also monitoring the actions of power and the people. Throughout this historical document, there are five major principles embedded; popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism. These five concepts are what indirectly encompass the foundation of the United States and its government. They also show us, in current day, what we should base our values and priorities on as a country. This is one of the many reasons why these five principles are so important to observe in our very own Constitution, and …show more content…
Popular sovereignty states that government power is given through consent. In other words, the government cannot truly be a government without the consent of the people. The most prominent example of this principle is found in the Preamble, where it states “We the People,” This is a very prevalent phrase in the Constitution, because these three short words speak volumes of the way the government is intended to be directed. “We the People” essentially says that every citizen’s voice in the US frames how our government operates. Another example of popular sovereignty is in the First Amendment. This, of course, is a well known amendment because it clearly states the rights and freedoms of United States citizens. It clarifies the rights of religion, speech, press, and peaceful assembly. This demonstrates popular sovereignty because it shows that the government is not the only powerful entity and the citizens have their rights as well. Another example of popular sovereignty is found in Article Seven. This article states that at least nine states had to ratify the Constitution before it could actually go into effect and impact the U.S. This displays how the power of the people have a fair impact on how powerful the government is. The government wouldn’t have had the guidelines of the Constitution if the states and the people of those states didn’t give their consent.In addition to …show more content…
A government with no restrictions is an unsafe and untrustworthy government, and there is no way to know what they can and cannot do as powerful entities of the U.S. This is why countries like North Korea with no government restrictions end up being complete dictatorships with afraid citizens. An example of how our government is restricted can be found in Article One, Section Nine. This article expresses the powers our government does not have. It discusses what Congress can and cannot do in terms of passing laws, holding people with unjust reasoning, and accepting gifts from foreign nations. These are all restrictions that have been placed due to past complications and have been made to further solidify our government. Another example of limited government can be found in the Fourth Amendment. This amendment states that the government needs a warrant with probable cause to search or seize property. In other words, no government official or police can search or take your home or any other property belonging to you without valid reasoning and a warrant. This limitation has been set on our government so that people feel secure in their own properties. It was also made so that despite the government’s authority, the people still have a level of privacy. Limited government can also be found in the Fifth Amendment. This amendment says that in