Preamble: The purpose of the Constitution

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Preamble The purpose of the Constitution

• Pg 25 Reading Study Guide

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Preamble

• We the people of the United States, in Order to
  form a more perfect Union, establish Justice,
  insure domestic tranquility, provide for the
  common defense, promote the general Welfare, and
  secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and
  our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
  Constitution for the United States of America.

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What does the Preamble do?

• Sets out to do two things
• 1 show legitimacy of the new government or its
  right to rule
• 2 to state why this new government is being
  formed

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Why the government is being formed

• To improve the structure of the government
• To create justice and peace within the nation
• To protect the nation from outside attacks
• To ensure the well-being of the people
• To keep citizens and their descendants free

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terms

• Totalitarianism-dictatorship
• Tyranny-one ruler dictatorship
• Absolute monarch- one ruler all powerful
• Militarism-nations military policy to increase
• Federalism-shared power
• Nationalism-extreme loyalty
• Capitalism- people own private property
• Communism-government owns all property
• Socialism-government owns some industries
• Popular sovereignty- people rule by voting on law
• Constitution-written rules for government
• Bill of Rights-first 10 amendments
• Enumerated right- written rights
• Enumerated powers- written powers
• Implied powers-necessary and proper powers
• Delegated powers- specific power given by
  Constitution or others

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Terms

• Broad interpretation- all inclusive anything goes
• Legislative-Congress, makes laws
• Executive-President, enforces laws
• Judiciary-Supreme Court, interprets laws
• Impeachment-to bring charges onto a government
  official
• Supremacy-no law above it
• Ratification-to approve or accept law
• Elastic clause-stretches into whatever Congress
  needs to do
• Electoral college-each state sends these
  representatives according to political party and
  majority vote to cast ballot for president
• Political parties- group of people with similar
  goals trying to get elected to run government
• Lobbyist- works to pass legislation for a certain
  group of people
• Special interest group- one goal is to influence
  legislation for themselves

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terms

• Checks and balances- each branch can check the
  others power
• Balance of power-same as checks and bal
• Separation of powers-each branch has specific
  duties
• Minority- less than 50
• Majority-more than 50
• Common good- doing what is best for the people
• Social contract- government agreeing to do what
  is best with the people
• Human rights-every person has certain freedoms
• Natural rights-life, liberty and property
  (happiness)
• Responsibilities of individual-being good
  citizens
• Slander- spoken words to harm anothers
  reputation
• Libel- written words to harm anothers reputation
• Free speech-able to speak freely on ideas w/o
  harm
• Censorship- editing or deleting certain
  information in the press
• Veto- no vote