Lesson 4: What is constitutional government?
Constitutional Government Is Limited Government: Ideas that Informed the American Founders (Video)
A constitution limits the powers of government by defining and distributing its powers. However, just because a nation has a constitution does not mean that it has a constitutional government.
The Problem with Constitutional Government (Video)
While the American Founders preferred a constitutional government, this system of governance still comes with flaws. Indeed, in order to be a truly constitutional government, those in power must obey the limitations specified by the constitution, which is a form of higher law.
Popular Sovereignty and Higher Law (Video)
In democracies, the sovereign people are the ultimate authority that grants all powers exercised by government. This is called popular sovereignty.
