Exploros | Principles of the American Government

Principles of the American Government

Students analyze seven basic principles reflected in the U.S. Constitution: limited government, republicanism, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and individual rights. They also discover how these principles are reflected in the framework of the U.S. government, as established by the Constitution. Finally, they explain how selected excerpts from the Constitution reflect one or more of these principles.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

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Overview

In this experience, students analyze seven basic principles reflected in the U.S. Constitution: limited government, republicanism, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and individual rights. They also discover how these principles are reflected in the framework of the U.S. government, as established by the Constitution. Finally, they explain how selected excerpts from the Constitution reflect one or more of these principles.

Objectives

Identify the framework of government that the Constitution established.
Summarize the seven basic principles of American government.

When the Founding Fathers set out to replace the Articles of Confederation with a Constitution for a new government, they began with a certain set of principles. These principles came from different sources—their own experience with colonial governments and the Revolutionary War, ideas from European Enlightenment philosophers, and even democratic elements of the British government.

In this experience, you will analyze the seven basic principles reflected in the U.S. Constitution: limited government, republicanism (or representative government), checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and individual rights. You will also discover how these principles are reflected in the framework of the U.S. government, as established by the Constitution. Finally, you will explain how selected excerpts from the Constitution reflect one or more of these principles.

Objectives

Identify the framework of government that the Constitution established.
Summarize the seven basic principles of American government.

Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States,
by Howard Chandler Christy

What is a principle? Write a synonym for the concept of “principle.”

Post your answer

Answers will vary, such as: belief, opinion, value, standard, code, creed, conviction. Answers should reflect the idea that a principle is a strong belief.

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