Principles in the Constitution

Checks And Balances

Checks and Balances are an important part of the Constitution. With checks and balances, each of the three branches of government can limit the powers of the others. This way, no one branch becomes too powerful. Checks and balances are a fundamental property of or government. They keep us from becoming like North Korea in a sense. An example of checks and balances is in the United States, the president has the power to veto laws. Without this power, congress could pass laws without any restriction; if congress was unrestricted they would become the ultimate power of our government.

 
Separation of Powers

Separation of powers refers to the idea that within a government there must be a division of powers whether it's among the federal government and provinces within the country or throughout different branches of government. Application of this idea prevents the federal government from becoming too strong or one specific branch, group of leaders, or head of government from becoming too powerful. This can be seen in the United States government in the way that states legislative bodies are able to pass laws that are currently illegal federally. This is also apparent within the federal government in the form of checks and balances. One branch of government, say the judiciary branch, is able to overturn laws made by the legislative body or congress. 

Popular Sovereignty

Popular sovereignty is the principle that the authority of the government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives who are the source of all political power. An Example of popular sovereignty in the United States government is people voting to elect a president. The most recent example of this is in the 2012 presidential election between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Each citizen’s vote counts as 1 popular vote; popular vote decides which candidate wins that state’s electoral votes. Obama won this election in both, popular vote, and electoral vote. He received 332, or 51.1% of the electoral votes.

Judicial Review 
Judicial review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the judiciary branch. A court with judicial review power may invalidate laws and decisions that are incompatible with a higher authority, such as the terms of a written constitution. Judicial review keeps the president and the congress in check, not letting them gain too much control of what is going on in the United States. It is constantly used to overrule laws in the United States that the Supreme Court deems unconstitutional. 

Federalism

Federalism is the idea that the federal government has more power than any provinces or smaller legislative bodies within a country. In the United States the most apparent application of federalism is the ability of the federal government to override state laws. Federalism prevents disputes between states or organizations from getting out of hand and allows the government to enforce laws that in some places may be lifted or altered. A perfect example of this is the laws regarding medicinal and recreational marijuana use in the United States. States like Colorado and Oregon have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Other States like California have legalized it for medicinal use but on the federal level it is still illegal. The idea of federalism means that if the federal government chooses they have the ability to enforce laws in these states that say marijuana is still illegal.

Limited Government

Limited Government refers to the idea that the power of the federal government must be limited and cater to the needs of the people. Every government must have checks that keep them from gaining too much power. A perfect example of this is the United States Bill of Rights. The BIll of Rights ensures that citizens of the U.S. must all be given natural rights that help retain their liberty. Without limiting the power of the government, people's natural rights may be abused or even taken away.