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Popular Sovereignty
- Political power rests with the people
- The preamble - "We the people"
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Limited Government
- Government is not all-powerful
- Rule of law - Government and its officers are always subject to, and never above the law
- Constitutionalism - Government mst be conducted according to constitutional principles
- The 1st Amendment - "Congress shall make no law"
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Separation of Powers
- The Constitution distributes the powers of the national government among the three branches
- Article I Section 1 - legislative powers
- Article II Section 1 - executive powers
- Article III Section 1 - judicial powers
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Checks and Balances
- The branches are tied together by a complex system of constitutional restraints that control the power of each branch so that one branch cannot become superior over another
- Article II Section 2 Clause 2 - Presidential appointment power
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Judicial Review
- The power to declare what government does is in accord with what the Constitution provides
- The power to declare legislative acts and executive action illegal, null and void and of no force and effect
- The Federalist #78
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Federalism
- Division of power among a central government and several regional governments
- The 10th Amendment - "Powers not delegated"
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