Original



|The United States Constitution |

|in Modern Language |

|The Preamble |

| |

|“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 Preamble to the United States Constitution is a brief introductory statement of the |

|fundamental purposes and guiding principles which the Constitution is meant to serve. It |

|expresses in general terms the intentions of its authors, and is sometimes referred to by |

|courts as evidence of what the Founding Fathers thought the Constitution meant and what |

|they hoped it would achieve (especially as compared with the Articles of Confederation). The first words, “We the people of the United States “– make it clear that the authors of |

|the Constitution wanted “the people” to be the ultimate authority. The idea that people “lend” the power to government temporarily, instead of the government “lending” power to the |

|people, was a new concept that changed the world forever. |

| |

| |

|Here is a list of the 6 goals for the Constitution listed in the Preamble in plain English: |

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|1. form a more perfect Union – to create a better government than the Articles of |

|Confederation, which was the constitution that existed at the time. |

| |

|2. establish Justice – to create a justice system, including courts, to bring order to the |

|nation |

| |

|3. insure domestic Tranquility – to make sure to keep the peace inside the country’s borders |

| |

|4. provide for the common defense – to create and maintain a national defense (military, etc) against |

|other countries |

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|5. promote the general welfare – to help establish and maintain a healthy economy, |

|population and society |

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|6. to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity – to bring freedom |

|and liberty to the people now and in the future |

|Article I: The Legislative Branch |

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|Section 1: Legislative power; Congress |

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|All the lawmaking power we grant in this document will lie with a new “Congress” of the United States, which will have two parts: the Senate, and the House of Representatives. |

|Section 2: House of Representatives |

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|Clause 1-Election: Members of the House of Representatives will be elected every two years directly by the voters. |

|Clause 2- Qualifications: Anybody who wants to be a representative has to be at least 25 years old, has to have been a citizen for at least 7 years, and has to be currently living |

|in the state they’re elected in. |

|Clause 3- Apportionment: [The different states will receive different numbers of representatives and different levels of taxes based on how many citizens they have, meaning free |

|people and indentured servants – Indians won’t be counted or taxed, and 3/5 of the slave population will be counted.]* The first actual head count will take place three years after|

|Congress meets for the first time, and a census will then be taken every ten years. Every state will have at least one representative, and the number of representatives from each |

|state will never be more than one for every 30,000 citizens. |

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|Until a census is taken, New Hampshire will get to choose three, Massachusetts will have eight, Rhode Island gets one, Connecticut five, New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania |

|eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia will have three. |

| |

|*This section was made obsolete by the end of slavery and the 13th Amendment in 1865. |

|Clause 4- Vacancies: When a seat in the House becomes vacant in between elections, the governor of the state that holds the vacant seat will set up a special election to fill the |

|vacant seat. |

|Clause 5- Officers; Impeachment: The House of Representatives will get to choose their Speaker of the House and select other officials, and they will be the only ones with the power|

|of impeachment. |

|Section 3: Senate |

| |

|Clause 1- Composition, Election, Term: The Senate will have two senators from each state. [The senators will be chosen by their state’s legislature]*, and will serve for six years,|

|and have one vote in the Senate. |

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|*The 17th Amendment changed this process, providing for the people to directly elect Senators. |

|Clause 2- Classification: As soon as all of the initial Senators have been elected (way back in the 1780’s), they will be grouped as equally as possible into three groups – the |

|first group will be replaced after two years, the second, after four years, and the third, after six years. That way, a third of the Senate seats will be up for election every |

|other year. [If a senator resigns, or something else happens where their seat is empty, if the legislature of their state isn’t currently in session, the President can assign |

|someone a temporary seat until the lawmakers meet again and choose somebody else.]* |

| |

|* This clause was changed by the 17th Amendment, which provides that a vacancy in Congress is to be filled by a special election, called by the Governor of the State being |

|represented. |

|Clause 3- Qualifications: Anybody who wants to be a senator has to be at least 30 years old, has to have been a citizen for at least 9 years, and has to be currently living in the |

|state they’re elected in. |

|Clause 4- Presiding Officer: The Vice President will be the President of the Senate, but he/she only gets to vote if he/she has to break a tie. |

|Clause 5- Other Officers of the Senate: The Senate also gets to choose its officials, including someone to be the temporary President of the Senate (President Pro Tempore) if the |

|V.P. isn’t available or if he’s forced to take the office of the President. |

|Clause 6- Impeachment Trials: The Senate will be the only group that can try anybody on impeachment charges. Nobody can be convicted unless two-thirds of the senators believe |

|they’re guilty. If the President is the one being tried, the chief justice of the Supreme Court will preside over the hearings. |

|Clause 7- Penalty on Conviction: Any official who is impeached cannot have any punishment given to them other than being removed from office and not being allowed to hold any office|

|in the future. After that, the prosecution can take them to a regular court and have them tried, judged, and punished like anyone else. |

|Section 4: Elections and Meetings |

| |

|Clause 1- Elections: Each state’s legislature can choose the time, place, and method of elections for their senators and representatives. But at any time, Congress can step in and |

|make changes to the time or method – but not the place – of an election. |

|Clause 2- Sessions: Congress will be assembled at least once every year, [on the first Monday of December]*, unless they decide on a different day. |

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|*This clause was changed by the 20th Amendment, which changes the date for Congress to meet to January 3rd. In reality, Congress meets most of the year, with several planned |

|recesses for summer and holidays. |

|Section 5: Legislative Proceedings |

| |

|Clause 1- Admission of Members; Quorum: The Senate and House will each decide internal matters for themselves, and, in order to do business, a majority of the members has to be |

|present (otherwise known as a Quorum). However, they will be allowed to fine absent members, and make them show up for votes and proceedings. |

|Clause 2- Rules: The Senate and House can decide the rules for how they’re going to operate, punish their members for bad behavior, and even expel a member (with the approval of at |

|least 2/3 of the members). |

|Clause 3- Record: The Senate and House will each keep a journal of everything they do, and from time to time, will have to release it to the public (except certain parts that might |

|need to be kept secret, like matters of national defense). In addition, each member’s vote on a particular issue can be recorded if 1/5 of the members agree to it. |

|Clause 4- Adjournment: Neither the Senate nor the House will adjourn for more than three days without the other’s approval. In addition, they can’t move to another location without|

|the other’s consent. |

|Section 6: Compensation, Immunities, and Disabilities of Members |

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|Clause 1- Salaries and Immunities: The senators and representatives will be paid for their services (an amount to be decided later) out of the Treasury. They’ll be safe from arrest|

|while they’re in session, or while coming from or going to their meeting place (except in cases of treason, felony, and disturbing the peace). They can’t be questioned in those |

|places, either. |

|Clause 2- Restrictions on Office Holding: Senators and representatives cannot hold any other office in the government while serving a term in Congress, and vice versa. |

|Section 7: Revenue Bills, President’s Veto Power |

| |

|Clause 1- Revenue Bills: Any bill for raising money has to start out in the House, but the Senate has the right to edit it just like with any other bill. |

|Clause 2- Enactment of Laws; Veto: For a bill to become a law, it must be approved by the Senate and the House. It then is sent to the President. If he approves, he’ll sign it, at|

|which point it becomes a law. If not, he can decide not to sign it (known as a veto) and send it back to Congress along with his notes on his objections to it. If, after thinking |

|it over, the House votes again and approves it by a two-thirds majority, it will be sent to the Senate. If they approve it by a two-thirds majority as well, then it becomes a law |

|anyway, in spite of the President’s veto. |

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|If the President doesn’t either sign the bill or veto it by sending it back within ten days, it will become a law automatically due to his lack of action. There is one exception to|

|this, though – if Congress adjourns until the ten days are over, the bill can’t be sent back. In that case, the President either has to sign it or leave it on his desk, meaning |

|that it can’t be voted on again. |

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|Also, every time a bill is voted on, everyone who voted for and against the bill will have their name and vote recorded, so that the people who elected them can keep an eye on |

|whether or not they’re voting in the peoples’ best interest. |

|Clause 3- Other Measures: Not only the bills, but ALL the votes, orders, and resolutions that are passed must be presented to the President, so that he can either sign or veto them |

|(unless Congress has adjourned), using all the rules for making a bill into a law. |

|Section 8: Powers of Congress |

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|Clause 1-18: Congress has the power to… |

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|1) Collect taxes (All federal taxes must be the same throughout the nation, however.) , pay the national debt, and make sure the nation is well defended and looked after. |

|2) Borrow money from other nations or institutions. |

|3) Manage trade with other nations, trade between the states, and trade with the Native Americans. |

|4) Make laws about how to become a citizen or file for bankruptcy, laws that will apply throughout the country. |

|5) Create the money, decide what value it will have, and establish which weights and measurements to base our system on. |

|6) Punish anyone who makes counterfeit money. |

|7) Establish post offices, run the federal postal system, and build roads. |

|8) Encourage scientific discovery and the arts by giving authors and inventors the sole rights (known as a Patent) to their creations for a limited time. |

|9) Create localized court systems that will be inferior to the Supreme Court. |

|10) Punish pirates and anyone who commits a felony at sea, as well as anyone who violates the laws between nations (otherwise known as international law). |

|11) Declare war, hire mercenaries, get revenge on the enemy in wartime, and make laws about the treatment of prisoners. |

|12) Raise an army, but with only enough funding to last for two years. |

|13) Establish and provide for a navy. |

|14) Make rules for the government, the army, and the navy. |

|15) Pull together a militia (today’s National Guard) when necessary to enforce the laws, quell uprisings, and stop any invaders. |

|16) Organize, train, and arm the militia, as well as govern the part used for national security. The states will get to appoint their officers and train the militia, but the |

|militia will always be subordinate to the needs of the country as dictated by Congress. |

|17) Make all the laws that have to do with the new capital – an area less than ten miles square to be chosen at a later date – and its suburbs, including make sure there is a |

|sufficient military presence to protect the new seat of the government. |

|18) Make any law they think necessary to help them in performing these duties, and any others that this document grants them or any other department or office. |

|Section 9: Powers Denied to Congress |

| |

|Clause 1: Congress may not interfere with the immigration of foreigners until 1808, but they can tax each person who comes in, up to ten dollars a person. |

|Clause 2: Nobody can be imprisoned against their will without being informed of the charges unless it’s a matter of national security. |

|Clause 3: Congress may not pass any law that has a negative effect on a single person or group, or make any retroactive law, that is, a law that punishes you for doing something |

|that was legal when you did it (Ex Post Facto law). |

|Clause 4: [The government cannot tax people or land directly unless they do so in proportion to the number of people in each state.]* |

| |

|* The 16th Amendment gives the Federal Government the ability to directly tax people’s incomes as a source of revenue. |

|Clause 5: The government can tax nothing that is exported from any particular state. |

|Clause 6: Congress cannot make any law about commerce that would favor one state over another. Also, no state can force ships from another state to pay a tax to enter their ports. |

|Clause 7: No money can be taken from the treasury except when Congress passes a law authorizing it. It will also, from time to time, have to make a statement about how much money |

|is being taken in and how much is being spent (a budget). |

|Clause 8: The United States government may not grant anybody a title of nobility (such as Prince or Duke), and nobody who holds public office may accept any kind of title of |

|nobility or high office from any other nation without the approval of Congress. |

|Section 10: Powers Denied to the States |

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|Clause 1: No state by itself will be allowed to: |

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|1) Make a treaty or alliance on its own. |

|2) Hire their own mercenaries. |

|3) Take revenge on other nations during war. |

|4) Mint their own money. |

|5) Use anything besides gold and silver coins as a way to pay their debts. |

|6) Pass any law that singles out a single person or group. |

|7) Pass any retroactive law (Ex Post Facto). |

|8) Pass any law that makes people unable to keep their contracts. |

|9) Grant any title of nobility. |

|Clause 2: Taxes on imports/exports: No state (without the approval of Congress) will be allowed to tax imports and exports except when it’s absolutely necessary. If it is allowed |

|to do so by Congress, all the money it receives will be put into the United States treasury. All laws about this matter are under the control of Congress. |

|Clause 3: States will not be allowed (without the approval of Congress) to: |

| |

|1) Tax ships coming into or trading in a port. |

|2) Keep standing armies or navies of their own during peacetime. |

|3) Make agreements or alliances with other states or other countries behind the back of the rest of the country. |

|4) Fight wars of their own – unless they're invaded or in extreme danger. |

|Article II: The Executive Branch |

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|Section 1: President and Vice President |

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|Clause 1- Executive Power; Terms: The administrative power of the United States will rest with the President. The President and Vice President will hold the office for a four-year |

|term, at the end of which, elections will be held for the next President. Here’s how the President will be elected: |

|Clause 2- Electoral College: Each state will choose as many electors as it has Senators and Representatives in Congress put together. None of the electors can be Senators, |

|Representatives, or anyone else holding a government office. |

|Clause 3- Election of President and Vice President: [The electors will meet together, each state’s group in their respective state, and they will each cast a vote for two people. |

|At least one of those two people has to be from a different state than the one they come from. They will make a list of everyone who was voted for and the number of votes for each,|

|which they will sign and seal. They will send those lists to the president of the Senate, who will open them in front of all the members of Congress, and count the votes. Whoever |

|has the most votes will be the President. |

| |

|If there’s a tie, the House of Representatives will have a vote to decide who’s going to be the next President. If none of the candidates have a majority of the votes in the House,|

|then there will be another vote where the House only votes on the five candidates who are highest up on the list - except that during this vote, the votes will be taken by states, |

|with all the representatives from each state having only one vote per state. In order to have this vote, at least 2/3 of the states need to have representatives present, and the |

|winner still needs to have a majority to become President. |

| |

|If there's a tie and the House chooses the President, then the candidate left with the most electoral votes will become the Vice President, and if there's still a tie for the office|

|of VP, then the Senate will have a vote to decide the new Vice President.]* |

| |

|* This clause was replaced by the 12th Amendment in 1804 |

|Clause 4- Date of Elections: Congress will get to decide the day that the electors are chosen, and the day that they will cast their votes. It has to be the same day throughout the|

|country, though. |

|Clause 5- Qualifications: Anyone who wants to be President has to be a natural born citizen (born in the United States), who is at least 35 years old, and has lived at least 14 |

|years of their life in the United States. |

|Clause 6- Vacancy: [If the President is impeached, dies, resigns, or is in any way unable to perform his job, the Vice President will take on his duties and become the new |

|President. If something happens where the Vice President is killed or isn’t able to do his job either, Congress can decide on someone to be a temporary President, until either the |

|President or Vice President is able to do their job again, or until elections are held for a new President.]* |

| |

|*This clause was modified by the 25th Amendment, which establishes the order of succession to the Presidency. |

|Clause 7- Compensation: The President will be paid a fixed salary, which will stay the same during his entire term, not being increased or decreased. He won’t receive any other |

|payment from the government. |

|Clause 8- Oath of Office: Before the new President takes office, he will have to take this oath: |

|“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution |

|of the United States." |

|Section 2: President’s Powers |

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|Clause 1- Military and Civil Powers: The President will be the Commander in Chief of the Army, the Navy, and the National Guard. He can be assisted by the Cabinet (made up of the |

|head officials of all of the different executive departments), and he will have the power to pardon criminals, except those that have been impeached from public office. |

|Clause 2- Treaties and Appointments: The President will have the power to make treaties (as long as 2/3 of the Senate agrees to it). He will also have the ability to appoint |

|ambassadors, judges, and any other officials who aren’t talked about in this document or the law books. Congress, however, can choose to let either the President, the courts, or |

|the heads of various departments choose these minor officials, if they wish. |

|Clause 3- Recess Appointments: Also, if an “empty seat” comes up (like if a Senator dies or resigns) during a recess of Congress, the President will have the power to appoint |

|someone to temporarily fill that seat until the next election. |

|Section 3: President’s Duties |

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|The President will be expected to give a State of the Union address to Congress, as well as giving the Senators and Representatives advice on how to handle certain situations. He |

|will be allowed (in extraordinary circumstances) to call either the Senate or House, or both, together to vote on an issue, as well as adjourning them when they can’t agree on |

|something. He will receive ambassadors from other nations, and he will see to it that the laws are carried out. |

|Section 4: Impeachment |

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|If the President, the Vice President, or any other government official is convicted of treason, bribery, or any other felony or misdemeanor, they will be removed from office, or |

|“impeached”. |

|Article III: The Judicial Branch |

| |

|Section 1: Courts, Terms of Office |

|There will be a Supreme Court to ensure that the laws are kept and justice is followed, as well as the inferior courts (any court below the Supreme Court) that Congress will |

|establish. The judges (on both the inferior courts and the Supreme Court) will need to be on their best behavior during the time they hold their office, and will be paid a certain |

|amount for their services that may not be decreased during their time of service. |

|Section 2: Jurisdiction |

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|Clause 1- Cases to be Heard: The Supreme Court will hear all cases involving ambassadors, consuls, and the like; cases involving who’s in charge in the navy; disputes between two or|

|more states; between a state and some citizens of another state; between citizens of different states; and disputes between citizens of the same state trying to use the laws of |

|different states to each stake a claim to a piece of land. |

|Clause 2- Supreme Court Jurisdiction: All cases involving ambassadors, consuls, and the like will be heard by the Supreme Court first. Any of the other cases that were not just |

|mentioned will be heard by lower courts first, but if the people involved don’t like the verdict they can appeal to higher court systems, all the way up to the Supreme Court (this |

|will be subject to any exceptions and/or regulations that Congress makes). |

|Clause 3- Jury Trial in Criminal Cases: All criminal cases (except those leading to impeachment of government officials) will have the benefit of trial by jury. Criminals will be |

|tried in the state where they committed their crimes, but if they didn’t commit them in one of the states, they will be tried at whatever place Congress chooses. |

|Section 3: Treason |

| |

|Clause 1- Definition: Treason against the United States will be defined to be either waging war against the country or assisting its enemies. Nobody can be convicted of treason |

|without the testimony of at least two witnesses, unless they confess to it in court. |

|Clause 2- Punishment: Congress will have the power to decide what punishment will be given for acts of treason – they can have their civil rights taken away, and even forbid their |

|family from inheriting their property when they die. This kind of punishment (disinheriting the family) can only be passed while the criminal is still alive. |

|Article IV: Relations Among States |

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|Section 1: Full Faith and Credit |

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|Each state will honor the laws, records, and court rulings of every other state – so that if two people are married in one state, they’re considered married in all the states, etc. |

|Section 2: Privileges and Immunities of Citizens |

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|Clause 1- Residents of Other States: The citizens of each state will be treated equally with citizens of all the other states. |

|Clause 2- Extradition: If any fugitive facing charges of treason, felony, or misdemeanor (who runs from the state he’s facing trial in) is found in another state, the governor of |

|that state must send him back to the authorities in the state where he stands trial. |

|Clause 3- Fugitive Slaves: [If a slave or indentured servant in one state runs away to another state, they won’t be freed but, if they’re caught, will instead be delivered back to |

|their owner or master.]* |

| |

|*This clause was nullified by the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in 1865. |

|Section 3: New States and Territories |

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|Clause 1- New States: Congress will be able to allow new states to become part of the country, but no new state can be created inside another state. Also, no new state can be made |

|out of two states, or parts of one or more states without the approval of the state legislatures involved and the approval of Congress. |

|Clause 2- Territories and Property: Congress will have control of all the government property in America, as well as the various territories held by America (such as Puerto Rico, |

|the Virgin Islands, Guam, or American Samoa), and they will not be allowed to make biased decisions in favor of one state over another. |

|Section 4: Protection Afforded to States by the Nation |

| |

|The government of the United States of America will ensure that the country is governed as a representative republic, will protect each state against invasion and, when Congress |

|allows (or the President, if they’re not available), protect against insurrection. |

|Article V: Provisions for Amending the Constitution |

| |

|Amendments (changes) to this Constitution may be proposed in two ways: They may be proposed by Congress whenever 2/3 of both houses vote that it’s necessary, or they may be |

|proposed by a “Constitutional Convention” which can be called if 2/3 of the state legislatures think it’s needed. Before an amendment is officially added, it then has to be |

|“ratified”, that is, voted into existence by either ¾ of the state legislatures or by ¾ of state conventions that will be called together for that purpose (Please note that no |

|amendment made before 1808 can affect the 1st and 4th paragraphs in Article I, Section 9). Also, no state (without its consent) will be made to lose its representation in the |

|Senate. |

|Article VI: National Debts, Supremacy of National Law, Oath |

| |

|Section 1: Validity of Debts |

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|If the US entered into any contracts or had any debts before this Constitution was written, they will be as valid now as they were then. |

|Section 2: Supremacy of National Law |

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|This Constitution - and the laws and treaties that will be made by the United States in years to come - will be the supreme law of the land. The judges in each state will be bound |

|to carry out the laws specified in this Constitution above all others, even if their states’ constitutions say something different. |

|Section 3: Oaths of Office |

| |

|Senators, Representatives, members of the state legislatures, and all the rest of the government officials at the federal and state levels will be required to swear an oath to |

|support this Constitution – but nobody can be turned down a government job because of their religion. |

|Article VII: Ratification |

| |

|This Constitution will take effect if at least nine of the thirteen states’ conventions approve it. |

|This document was written in a convention, and took effect by the unanimous consent of the states on September 17th, 1787, in the 12th year since America became a nation. We, the |

|undersigned, are witnesses to this. |

| |

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|The End! |

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|Review: 6 Basic Principles of the Constitution |

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|1. Popular Sovereignty: The belief that the power of the government is created by the will or consent of the people, who are the source of all political power. |

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|2. Limited Government: No government is all powerful, and it may only do those things which the people have given it the power to do. |

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|3. Separation of Powers: Basic powers are distributed -separated- among three distinct and independent branches of government. |

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|4. Checks and Balances: Each branch of government is subject to a number of constitutional checks (restraints) by the other branches. |

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|5. Judicial Review: The power of the Courts to determine whether what government does is in accord with what the constitution provides. |

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|6. Federalism: The division of power among a central government and state governments. |

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