Discovering Our Past: The American Journey to World War IChapter 4: The ConstitutionChapter OverviewThe Preamble to the Constitution describes six goals for the government that served as guides to the Constitution's Framers. The Constitution is based on seven major principles: popular sovereignty, republicanism, limited government, federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, and individual rights. The Framers wrote the Constitution so that it could be altered or adapted to meet changing needs. This design has enabled the modern government to make alterations for reasons the Framers could not have predicted.The legislative branch is responsible for making the nation's laws. Congress is divided into two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Congress has many roles, including appropriating funds, monitoring the actions of the executive branch, and creating legislation. The executive branch—the President along with various agencies—carries out the laws made by the legislative branch. The Supreme Court and a number of lesser courts make up the judicial branch. The Supreme Court's power of judicial review gives it the authority to declare laws unconstitutional. Americans have certain rights that are protected in the Constitution. The Bill of Rights specifies these, including freedom of speech and the right to due process. In return for these protections, American citizens are expected to carry out certain duties and responsibilities. These include obeying the law, defending the nation, and voting. |  |
