It’s the Principle of the Thing!
The opening words of the Constitution, "We the People," best reflect this constitutional principle where the people hold the ultimate political authority.
What is Popular Sovereignty?
Signed in 1215, this English document was the first to limit the monarch's power and establish trial by jury.
What is the Magna Carta?
The original stated purpose for the delegates convening in Philadelphia in May 1787.
What was to revise the Articles of Confederation?
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson stated that Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness are this type of right.
What are Unalienable Rights?
n this benchmark year, the first permanent English settlement was established at Jamestown, Virginia.
What is 1607?
This principle divides and shares power between the national (federal) government and state governments.
What is Federalism?
Written by the Pilgrims in 1620, this agreement served as the first American model for self-government and majority rule.
What is the Mayflower Compact?
This plan favored large states by proposing congressional representation based strictly on population.
What is the Virginia Plan?
The colonial complaint against King George III for "quartering large bodies of armed troops among us" was resolved by this constitutional amendment.
What is the Third Amendment?
In this landmark year, the Declaration of Independence was adopted in Philadelphia.
What is 1776?
Creating three separate branches—Legislative, Executive, and Judicial—prevents any single group from holding all power under this principle.
What is Separation of Powers?
A series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to convince states to ratify the new Constitution.
What are the Federalist Papers?
This plan favored small states by proposing equal representation for each state regardless of size.
What is the New Jersey Plan?
British "Writs of Assistance" allowing search without warrant led directly to this Bill of Rights protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
What is the Fourth Amendment?
This 1786 armed uprising of debt-burdened Massachusetts farmers demonstrated that the national government under the Articles of Confederation was too weak to maintain order.
What is Shays' Rebellion?
The President vetoing a bill passed by Congress, or Congress overriding a veto with a two-thirds vote, illustrates this principle.
What is Checks and Balances?
This group opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution because it lacked a written Bill of Rights and feared a strong national executive.
Who are the Anti-Federalists?
Also known as the Connecticut Compromise, it created a bicameral legislature with equal representation in the Senate and population-based representation in the House.
What is the Great Compromise?
The grievance of being deprived "in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury" was addressed by these two constitutional amendments.
What are the Sixth and Seventh Amendments?
Often considered the greatest achievement of the Articles of Confederation, this 1787 law established an orderly process for admitting new states and outlawed slavery in the Northwest Territory.
What is the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?
This principle ensures that government officials are never above the law and may only exercise powers specifically granted by the Constitution.
What is Limited Government?
Passed in 1689, this British document served as a direct model for the U.S. Bill of Rights by banning cruel and unusual punishment.
What is the English Bill of Rights?
This agreement determined how enslaved persons would be counted for both legislative representation and direct federal taxation.
What is the Three-Fifths Compromise?
The rallying cry "No taxation without representation" was solved by granting the sole power to levy federal taxes to this elected legislative body.
What is the U.S. Congress (specifically originating in the House of Representatives)?
Put these four events in chronological order: Mayflower Compact, U.S. Constitution drafted, Jamestown founded, Declaration of Independence.
What is 1607 (Jamestown) → 1620 (Mayflower) → 1776 (Declaration) → 1787 (Constitution)?