American History: Beginnings to 1877: 4. A Constitution for the United States, Lessons 3–5

The delegates wanted to create a republic, a government in which citizens rule themselves through elected representatives.

The tradition of encouraging citizen participation to promote the common good, or the well-being of the community, became known as civic republicanism.

Under the ruler Caesar Augustus, Rome eventually became a dictatorship, a government in which one person or a small group holds complete authority.

The idea of private property rights strongly influenced the beliefs of early Americans, which partly explains the development of a free enterprise system throughout the nation.

The Framers had set up a process for the states to approve, or ratify, the new government.

Supporters of the Constitution called themselves Federalists because they favored a strong federal, or national, government.

The Framers had established a way to amend, or change, the Constitution to modify the rules for the national government.

The statute said that "No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship...or otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief."

The statute said that "No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship...or otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief."

At the same time, they placed the military under civilian, or nonmilitary, control.

During the Revolution, the colonists fought and died for liberty, or freedom.

This principle, known as popular sovereignty, states that the people have the right to alter or abolish their government.

All laws start as proposals called bills.

The President, for example, can check the actions of Congress by vetoing, or rejecting, bills that Congress has passed.

Congress can check the President by overriding, or overruling, the veto, with a two-thirds vote in both houses.

Congress's most extreme check on the President is its power to remove the President from office. To do this, the House of Representatives must impeach, or bring charges of serious wrongdoing against, the President.