The Living ConstitutionThe Framers of the Constitution created a flexible plan for governing theUnited States far into the future. They also described ways to allow changes in the Constitution. For over 200 years, the Constitution has guided theAmerican people. It remains a “living document.” The Constitution still thrives, in part, because it echoes the principles the delegates valued. Each generation of Americans renews the meaning of the Constitution’s timelessideas. These two pages show you some ways in which the Constitution has shaped events in American history. See Primary Source Explorer

1965Civil rights leaders protest to end theviolation of their constitutional rights.Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta ScottKing, and others march from Selmatoward Montgomery, Alabama, to gainvoting rights.

1787Delegates in Philadelphiasign the Constitution.

64 THE LIVING CONSTITUTION

“In framing a system which we wish tolast for ages, we should not lose sight ofthe changes which ages will produce.”

—JAMES MADISON, CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

TABLE OF CONTENTSSeven Principles

of the Constitution 66The Constitution

of the United States 70Preamble 70Article 1 71Article 2 78Article 3 82Article 4 84Article 5 85Article 6 86Article 7 87Bill of RightsAmendments 1–10 88Amendments 11–27 91Constitution Assessment 100

HOW TO READ THE CONSTITUTIONThe complete text of theConstitution of the United Statesbegins on page 70. The main col-umn has the actual text. Some ofthe spellings and punctuationhave been updated for easierreading. Headings and subhead-ings have been added to theConstitution to help you findspecific topics. Those parts of theConstitution that are no longerin use have been crossed out. “A Closer Look” notes andcharts will help you understandissues related to the Constitution.

1971The 26th Amendment to theConstitution gives young people“18 years of age or older” theright to vote.

1981A Supreme Courtdecision rules thatCongress can excludewomen from thedraft. Still, manywomen who havejoined the armedforces have served in combat.

1999The Senate tries President BillClinton for the impeachmentcharges brought against him bythe House of Representatives. As required by the Constitution,the Senate needs a two-thirdsmajority vote to convict him. This rule saves his presidency.

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66 THE LIVING CONSTITUTION

Seven Principles of the ConstitutionThe Framers of the Constitution constructed a new system of government.Seven principles supported their efforts. To picture how these principleswork, imagine seven building blocks. Together they form the foundation of the United States Constitution. In the pages that follow, you will find thedefinitions and main ideas of the principles shown in the graphic below.

11 Popular SovereigntyWho Gives the Government Its Power?

“We the people of the United States . . .establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” These words from the Preamble,or introduction, to the Constitution clearly spell out the source of the government’s power. TheConstitution rests on the idea of popularsovereignty—a government in which the peoplerule. As the nation changed and grew, popularsovereignty took on new meaning. A broader range of Americans shared in the power to govern themselves.

In 1987, Americans gathered in Washington, D.C.,to celebrate the 200th anniversary of theConstitution. The banner proudly displays that the power to govern belongs to the people.

PopularSovereignty

FederalismChecks and

Balances

RepublicanismSeparation of Powers

LimitedGovernment

UNITED STATESCONSTITUTION

Individual Rights

22 RepublicanismHow Are People’s Views Represented in Government?

The Framers of the Constitution wanted the people tohave a voice in government. Yet the Framers also fearedthat public opinion might stand in the way of sound decision making. To solve this problem, they looked torepublicanism as a model of government.

Republicanism is based on this belief: The people exer-cise their power by voting for their political representatives.According to the Framers, these lawmakers played the keyrole in making a republican government work. Article 4,Section 4, of the Constitution also calls for every state tohave a “republican form of government.”In a republican government, voting

citizens make their voices heard at thepolls. The power of the ballot promptscandidates to listen to people’s concerns.

33 FederalismHow Is Power Shared?

The Framers wanted the states and the nation to become partners in governing. To buildcooperation, the Framers turned to federalism.Federalism is a system of government in whichpower is divided between a central governmentand smaller political units, such as states. Beforethe Civil War, federalism in the United Stateswas closely related to dual sovereignty, the ideathat the federal government and the states eachhad exclusive power over their own spheres.

The Framers used federalism to structurethe Constitution. The Constitution assignscertain powers to the national government.These are delegated powers. Powers kept by thestates are reserved powers. Powers shared orexercised by national and state governmentsare known as concurrent powers.

The overlapping spheres of powerbind the American people together.

Federalism

Powers Reserved for the

State Governments

PowersDelegated

to the

NationalGovernment

Shared(Concurrent)

Powers

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55 Checks and BalancesHow Is Power Evenly Distributed?

Baron de Montesquieu, an 18th-century Frenchthinker, wrote, “Power should be a check to power.”His comment refers to the principle of checks andbalances. Each branch of government can exercisechecks, or controls, over the other branches. Thoughthe branches of government are separate, they rely onone another to perform the work of government.

The Framers included a system of checks and balances in the Constitution to help make sure thatthe branches work together fairly. For example, onlyCongress can pass laws. Yet the president can checkthis power by refusing to sign a law into action. Inturn, the Supreme Court can declare that a law,passed by Congress and signed by the president,violates the Constitution.

Separation of Powers

UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

Article 1Legislative Branch

Congress makes the laws.

Article 2Executive BranchPresident enforces

the laws.

Article 3Judicial BranchSupreme Court

interprets the law.

Separation of PowersHow Is Power Divided?

The Framers were concerned that too much power might fall into thehands of a single group. To avoid this problem, they built the idea ofseparation of powers into the Constitution. This principle means thedivision of basic government roles into branches. No one branch isgiven all the power. Articles 1, 2, and 3 of the Constitution detail howpowers are split among the three branches.

Checks onCongress

Ch

ecks

onPr

esid

ent Checks on

President

Checks on Congress

Chec

kson

Courts

Checks on Courts

Legislative Branch(Congress)Judicial Branch

(Supreme Court)

Executive Branch(President)

Checksand

Balances

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77 Individual RightsHow Are Personal Freedoms Protected?

The first ten amendments to the Constitution shield people from an overly powerful government. Theseamendments are called the Bill of Rights. The Bill ofRights guarantees certain individual rights, or personalliberties and privileges. For example, government cannotcontrol what people write or say. People also have the right to meet peacefully and to ask the government to correct a problem. Later amendments to the Constitutionalso advanced the cause of individual rights.

Limited GovernmentHow Is Abuse of Power Prevented?

The Framers restricted the power of government.Article 1, Section 9, of the Constitution lists thepowers denied to the Congress. Article 1, Section 10,forbids the states to take certain actions.

The principle of limited government is alsoclosely related to the “rule of law”: In the Americangovernment everyone, citizens and powerful leadersalike, must obey the law. Individuals or groups cannot twist or bypass the law to serve their own interests.

Students exercise their right to protest.They urge the community to protect theenvironment.

1. Main Ideasa. What are the seven principles of government?

b. How does the Constitution reflect the principle of separation of powers?

c. Why did the Framers include a system of checks andbalances in the Constitution?

2. Critical ThinkingForming Opinions How do the rights and responsi-bilities of U.S. citizenship reflect American nationalidentity?

THINK ABOUT• what it means to be an American• the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens

Assessment: Principles of the Constitution

In this political cartoon, President RichardNixon shakes his fist as he defies the “ruleof law.” Faced with charges of violatingthe Constitution, Nixon resigned aspresident in 1974.

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