popular sovereignty
rule by the people. comes from preamble.
republicanism
a form of government in which people elect representatives to create and enforce laws
federalism
division of power between the national and state governments
seperation of powers
dividing the powers of government among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. articles 1,2,3.
checks and balances
A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power
limited government
Groups/individuals cannot bypass the law to serve their own interests
individual rights
people have the right to peacefully ask the gov't to change a problem or to make a new law