While the phrase may be a difficult one for students to wrap their heads around, popular sovereignty is actually a fairly simple concept to understand. It is also the most important principle of the U.S. Constitution. The principle is derived from the word popular, which pertains to the American public, and sovereignty, which means power over the state. When the concepts are combined, popular sovereignty simply means rule of the people.
Other principles also pertain to the powers and rights afforded to American citizens under the Constitution. These are also principles that students can get excited about, since they have to do with their present and future rights as citizens. The principle of republicanism protects every citizen's right to vote for political representatives. The principle of limited government ensures that no citizen of the United States is above the law. This includes elected representatives. The principle of individual rights is exemplified by the Bill of Rights, which outlines certain unalienable rights held by American citizens that cannot be taken away by their elected government.
As a result of much political debate at the turn of the 19th century, the principle of federalism did survive to become an important aspect of the U.S. Constitution. While this principle does allow for a strong central government, other principles help to ensure that government power over the people does not get out of hand.
Separation of powers, for example, separates the power of government between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. This principle goes hand-in-hand with the principle of checks and balances, which gives each branch the ability to keep other branches of government from overreaching with the powers provided to them by the Constitution.
Teaching the seven principles of the Constitution need not be challenging. A great way to organize a lesson on the topic is to separate the seven principles into categories that are easy to understand, such as by principles of citizen empowerment and principles of government. Also, flashcards are a great study tool students can use to learn and memorize the seven principles.
One of the best ways to effectively teach the seven principles of the Constitution is to get students involved. For adult students, a great activity might be for them to sit in on a city council meeting or vote in the next election. For younger students, educators can create an activity to illustrate each of the seven principles. For example, to teach the principle of popular sovereignty, an educator may want to hold a class election where each student can practice exercising their right to vote.