Constitutional Principles

We the people of the United States..” the Preamble of US Constitution begins with these words, and continues to explain why the document was written. The Constitution contains seven principles the first being “Popular Sovereignty” which means that the people chose how they want to be governed. The second principle is “Limited Government” says that no one group or person holds the most power. The third principle is “Separation of Powers” is how power is shared in the government, with no one side having the most. The fourth principle is “Checks and Balances” where one part of government checks the other and so forth. The fifth principle is “Judicial Review” which gives the Supreme Court to deem laws unconstitutional meaning lawful or unlawful.
The sixth principle is “Federalism” which is separation of powers between the federal government and the states. Finally the seventh principle is “Republicanism” where the people choose or elect those who will govern.
One part of government is the Legislative Branch where its main job is to create the laws.
It is comprised of the Senate and House of Representatives or Congress. The Senate is comprised of 100 members, two from each State. In order to become a Senator you must be thirty years of age, must have been a citizen for nine years and live in the state they represent. The President of the Senate is the Vice President and can cast a vote only in the event of a tie. The Senate confirms the President's appointments and his pick for the Supreme Court, they also have the sole power to ratify treaties. The Senate acts as the jury in an impeachment trial. The House is made of 435 members with each State having different amount of members since they vary in population. To become a Representative you must be twenty-five years old, you must be a citizen of seven years and live in the state you represent. The House has the sole power to introduce money bills, and begin the impeachment process. To create a law, a bill must be passed in the house it originated then it must pass in the next house and then finally the President must sign it into law. If the president vetoes the bill then Congress can vote on it again and override his veto and make the bill
law.
The Executive Branch of government is divided into 4 parts: Cabinet Departments, Independent Agencies, Government Corporations and Regulatory Commissions. The president has these powers: Commander in Chief, Chief Executive, Chief of State, Chief Legislator and Chief of Party. As Commander in Chief he is incharge of the army, as Chief Executive the president the boss of many government workers, as Chief of State the president represents the US abroad, as Chief Legislator the President enforces the laws, and as Chief of Party the president is the head of their political party. The President has the power to sign bills into laws or veto them, the president can negotiate and sign treaties but they must be approved by the Senate. To become president you must be 35 years of age, be a natural citizen and you must have been a resident for 14 years. The main job of the Judicial Branch government is to interpret laws passed by Congress and determine if they are Constitutional or not.
The highest court in the land is the Supreme Court which consists of 9 members and their leader is the Chief Justice. The president can appoint new justices if there are vacancies and they are approved by the Senate. There are no qualifications to become a justice and they serve for life. The Supreme Court and other courts have jurisdiction over The Constitution , Federal Laws, Treaties, Laws governing ships, the United States government itself, Ambassadors or public ministers, Two or more state governments, Citizens of different states, and A state or its citizens versus a foreign country or foreign citizen. There are 91 district courts and 12 appeal courts that are apart of the federal government. Key terms in the Judicial world are original jurisdiction, which is having authority to a case, appellate jurisdiction, meaning have the power to hear a case after it has been heard through a lower court system and a writ of certiorari which is a formal request for the Supreme
Court. The Constitution can change and it has 27 times since it was created. The first 10 changes are known as the Bill of Rights and state the rights of every American citizen. The first amendment guarantees 5 rights: speech, assembly, petition, religion and of the press. The second amendment gives the right to bear arms. The third amendment concerns the quartering of soldiers in peaceful times. The fourth through eighth deal with the criminal process. The fourth amendment states that the police need a warrant to search your home and arrest you. The fifth amendment states that a trial cannot go without a due process of law. The sixth amendment gives the right to a public trial and the seventh amendment guarantees the right to a jury. The eighth amendment says that you cannot be fine excessive bail and there should be no cruel or unusual punishments. The ninth amendment protects rights not stated in the Constitution and the tenth gives powers to the states.
The Constitution to me is a symbol a freedom for those seeking something more than where they live now.