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Name _____________________________________________ Date ____________ Period ___________
THE PRINCIPLES OF THE CONSTITUION
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Popular Sovereignty
Limited government
Separation of Powers
Checks and Balances
Federalism
Republicanism
Protection of Individual Rights
The U.S. Declaration of Independence states that “all men” possess unalienable rights and that “among
these are _____________________, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
What is a Constitution?
 A constitution is the basic principles and ________________ of a ______________________.
 A constitution effectively controls the powers of the government and _____________________
certain _____________________ to the people.
 Our ____________ Constitution is the “___________________________________ of the land.”
 The U.S. and Texas Constitutions are considered living documents because they can be
amended/changed with the times/life.
 _____ CONSTITUTION INFLUENCED THE ______________________CONSTITUTION
 Document’s basic principles came from the U.S. Constitution
 Served as a model for the Texas Bill of Rights - example: freedom of speech
Texas Constitution of 1836
 Created a ________________________ Government with _____________________ Branches
 Representatives of Congress and executive officials are _________________ by the __________
 The idea that the power to create or change the government comes from the
people is called ______________________________________.
 Popular Sovereignty- _____________ comes from ____________- People power
Popular Sovereignty
All political power comes from the people. (voting & participation)
 Popular sovereignty means that a government receives its ___________________________
from the ________________________. A government cannot rule without the people’s consent.
 The will of the population is expressed through the people elected to serve in local, state, and
federal government.
Limited Government
The power of government is limited, or has restrictions, in order to protect people’s rights.
 Constitution restricts government, _____________________ must ________________the laws.
 A limited government is not all-powerful. Its powers are limited to those given to it by the
people.
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The U.S. and Texas governments can have no powers or responsibilities beyond those assigned
in the U.S. and Texas Constitutions.
Separation of Powers
Power is divided between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
This prevents any one branch from becoming too powerful.
 ______________ the National and State Government powers are _______________________
into __________________branches--with each branch having different powers and
responsibilities.
 The legislative branch makes laws.
 The executive branch enforces laws.
 The judicial branch interprets laws.
Checks and Balances
A system in which each branch has ways to check the other branches in order to prevent one from
becoming too powerful.
 Each branch of the national and state government has the ability to ___________________, or
control, the __________________ of the __________________________ two branches.
 Checks and balances keep any one branch of the government from becoming too ___________.
 For example: The president and governor can veto a bill passed by Congress.
Federalism
 Distributes power between the __________________ government and ____________ (regional)
governments.
Some powers are shared; others are not.
 The U.S. Constitution grants certain powers to the national government and others to Texas.
Republicanism
Voters elect representatives to serve in the government and make decisions based on what
is wanted by the people they represent.
 A republic is a form of government where the people __________________ through
elected ______________________.
 U.S. and Texas citizens elect legislators to represent them in Congress.
Protection of Individual Rights
Specific rights and freedoms guaranteed to citizens and protected by law.
 A ________________________________ outlines the civil liberties that a government promises
to protect.
 Individual rights are rights that the government is obligated to protect. These protections are
provided by various amendments to the U.S. and Texas Constitution.
 The right to free speech is protected in the U.S. and Texas Bill of Rights.
Texas Constitution Trivia
 Our Current Constitution was approved in 1876
 This is our fifth constitution. It is modeled after the Texas Constitution of 1845
Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances
 The Texas Constitution of 1845 established a separation of governing powers, in which the
powers of each branch are limited.
 This system is similar to the one established in the U.S. Constitution.
 The three branches of the Texas and U.S. government are the same, but the title of the
individual responsible for the Executive Branch is different.
 U.S. Head of Executive Branch= __________________________
 Texas Head of the Executive Branch=__________________________
CHECKS AND BALANCES
 The federal and state constitutions separate the powers of each branch so each branch will not
be more powerful than another. This is called “_____________________________ of powers.”
 The U.S. and Texas Constitutions authorize each branch of government to ______________
their powers with the other branches.
 Created to prevent any one branch from becoming too __________________________.
The Legislative Branch
 The primary job of the ________________________ branch is to ___________ ___ ________.
The Executive Branch
 The ___________________________ leads the Executive Branch in our _____________ capital.
 The ___________________ leads at the ______________________ level.
 The President and Governor (__________________) carry out the laws that Congress passes and
ensures their just application [make them fair for everyone].
The Judicial Branch
 The Judicial Branch consists of all federal courts in the United States including the
___________________ court, the ________________________ Court.
 ____________________ the constitution and other laws.
ROLE OF JURIES WITHIN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM
 A _____________ is a group of _________________sworn to hear evidence on a matter
submitted to them and give their verdict (guilty or not guilty) according to the evidence
presented.
 Grand Jury – decides whether a person accused of a felony should be indicted
 Petit Jury-decides the verdict
in a trial
 JURY DUTY IS AN IMPORTANT CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY
Federalism
Separation of Powers
Governor
Lieutenant
Governor