Constitutional Principles Worksheets

All About These 15 Worksheets

This series of 15 worksheets covers the fundamental principles of constitutional governance. This collection is designed to introduce students to the core concepts and ideals that underpin modern democratic systems. Through various activities and thought-provoking exercises, students will gain a deeper understanding of the principles outlined in constitutions, their significance in safeguarding individual rights and promoting the rule of law, and their impact on the functioning of governments. Through these worksheets, students will:

• Explore the concept of a constitution, the importance of constitutional principles in democratic societies, and the historical context that shaped the development of these principles;
• Investigate the principle of popular sovereignty, which asserts that the power of government is derived from the consent of the governed;
• Explore the principle of the separation of powers, which divides governmental authority among different branches;
• Learn about the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, their functions, and the system of checks and balances that ensures accountability and prevents abuses of power;
• Study how a veto works and demonstrate their knowledge through answering writing prompts;
• Identify the benefits and challenges of a federal system, the distribution of powers, and the concept of shared sovereignty;
• Engage with the protection of individual rights and liberties enshrined in constitutions;
• Deep dive into Republicanism, its origins, and what it intends to do for the U.S. government;
• And be familiar with all the constitutional principles, their origins, and how each of them operates.

A country stands on some fundamentals and must be followed by the government whose work is to follow the constitution. A country’s constitution means having precedents to help the ruling party better govern. There are some constitutional principles on which the constitution is based and amended by the public’s general vote.

Importance of Constitution

Constitution lays out the basic framework of the country and gives you an idea about what ideals are exercised in the country. It also protects the rights of all citizens. The constitution is always there to make the government more compliant. It explains the laws of society and gives the citizens power over the government. Furthermore, it upholds unity, provides stability, and enables the country to prosper.

Basic Constitutional Principles

There are seven constitutional principles: popular sovereignty, separation of powers, checks and balance, limited government, federalism, republican, and most importantly, individual rights.

Popular Sovereignty

In the past, monarchs that ruled over the kingdoms claimed that the power was invested in them by God; hence, their word was the law that the public must follow. However, as the revolution was brought upon, it had one goal that gave power to the people by saying, “We the people.” This gives the public right to abolish any government and shows it has authority over the government. It makes the ruling party answerable and accountable to the public.

Separation of Power

A chain of accountability is needed to limit the access of the government. The power of the country is divided into three houses. The legislative branch is the congress which passes the laws, has the power to override the president’s veto, has the authority to declare war, support armies, and impeach officials and the president. The executive branch is the president’s office; it carries out the laws and proposes laws.

It is responsible for carrying out federal officials’ appointments, and the president serves as the commander in chief and can offer presidential pardons. The third branch is the Judicial branch, which ensures the laws are implemented. It has the power to declare the laws or the executive decisions unconstitutional.

Limited Government

Before the constitution existed, the monarchs had unlimited power over their lands. Similarly, when American states were the colonies of the British Empire, they had to obey the rules the kingdom set no matter how unfair they were, like the Stamp Act or Intolerable Acts. When the declaration of independence was given, it was also decided that once the constitution was in place, no one must be above the law, not any president, judge, or solider.

Checks and Balance

All three offices have the rights that limit the power and access of the other two offices so that there is no abuse of power. This constitutional principle is known as checks and balance that safeguards the system.

Federalism

The power is further divided between the center, i.e., federal and the individual powers of the states. The federal government’s role is to guard the boundaries, declare war, look after the trades between the states, and regulate currency. In comparison, the states are responsible for making schools, holding state elections, and ensuring trade in the state.

Republicanism

Republicanism is when the public appoints representatives through elections to represent their stance. As the appointed ones settle in the office, they vote on laws and policies according to their judgment and what benefit they will bring to the people they represent.

Individual Rights

The most important constitutional right is the protection of an individual. This gives a citizen; a subject to the constitution, freedom of speech, protest, religious liberty, and a jury trial.