Main Features of the Constitution

 The Supreme Law of the Land

o Article VI of the Constitution has been called the linchpin of the
constitution.
 The Constitution is considered the nation’s supreme law.
 Purposes of Our Government
o The main purposes for which the U.S. government was established are
stated in the Preamble (introduction)to the Constitution.
o It states six purposes for the Constitution: (list all 6) 1) To form a more
perfect union 2) to establish justice 3) To ensure domestic tranquility
4) To provide for the common defense 5) To promote the general
welfare 6) To secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our
posterity.
 Rights and Responsibilities of the American People
o It begins with the solemn words, “We the People.”
 These words mean that the people of the U.S. have the duty of
governing their nation through their elected representatives.
 Each citizen must take the responsibility that goes with
representative government and freedoms granted or the system
will fail.
 What are some of the rights and responsibilities?
Freedom of worship – honor God with our worship and our
lives
Freedom of speech – speak honestly and purely; respect the
opinions of others.
Freedom of press – keep informed and analyze what we read;
do not print things that would harm others.
Freedom to vote – vote faithfully and wisely for what is best for
the country
Etc.
o Republican Government
 What is a republic? A form of government in which voters elect
others to represent them in government.
 Historically, the republics have also been governments that did
not have a King.
 The constitution has a president, not a king.
 It forbids both Congress and the states from granting titles of
nobility.
 Article IV of the Constitution guarantees to all states entering
the union a “republican form of government”: in other words, all
governments in the union must have a system of representation
for its citizens and must not have a king.
o Limited Government
 The constitution was written to counter the abuses that come
when governmental power is unrestrained.
  The Founding Fathers were aware of the “Beasts” of political
power needed restraint.
 Governments move to the extent of their powers.
 The framers incorporated into the Constitution three limits on
tyrannical power: federalism, separation of powers, checks and
balances.
o Federalism.
 The Constitution set up a system of Federalism, or what? a
division of the power of government between the national
government and the state governments.
 Those powers that have been given to the national government
by the Constitutional are called Delegated powers.
 Powers not given to the national government by the
Constitution or prohibited by the Constitution are reserved for
the states’ people.
 Those powers are called reserved powers, or residual powers.
 What else do they include? the power to regulate such things as
marriage and divorce, education, and automobile licensing
 Powers that are given to both the national and state
governments are called concurrent powers.
o Separation of powers.
 Federalism divides power between the national government and
the states.
 In the separation of powers, political power is separated among
three political institutions
 The idea for the separation of powers come from the French
Charles de Montesquieu.
 The writers of the constitutional took Montesquieu’s idea and
made provision for three branches.
 What are the three branches?
Legislative branch – which makes the laws.
Executive branch – which carries out or executes the laws.
Judicial branch – which interprets the laws according to the
Constitution.