Us Constitution and How It Relates to Popular Sovereignty

The United States Constitution is a document of popular sovereignty. It starts out with “We the People” not we the government because the power of the government lies within the people. Popular sovereignty is one of the six foundational principals the United States Constitution is based on. Popular sovereignty puts the power of the government into the people’s hands.

The National Legislature was split into two branches, which are the House of Representatives and the Senate. Documents B and C state,“Resolved, that the members of the first house of the National Legislature be elected by the people of the several states for a term of three years. Document C also writes, “to the proportion of white and other free inhabitants, of every age, sex and condition, including those bound to servitude, for a term of years, and three fifths of all other persons, not comprehended in the foregoing description.” The citizen’s right to vote had the power of electing the members of the National Legislature. White males and other free citizens had one full vote. Slaves and those bound to servitude had three fifths of a vote, but either way, the citizens had power to choose members, not the government choosing members themselves.

The first ten amendments of the constitution are the Bill of Rights, which were proposed by James Madison in 1789. Madison proposed these amendments so that those in power would not abuse their power. Document F, “If all power is subject to abuse, that then it is possible the abuse of the powers of the general government be guarded in a more secure manner than is done now.”