Final answer:
Popular sovereignty is a principle where government power originates from the people's consent, exercised through elections and referendums. It provides a check on governmental power by ensuring accountability and the ability to remove officials. The balance of powers between national and state governments, outlined in the Constitution, further supports this principle.
Step-by-step explanation:
Popular Sovereignty in the American Political System
Popular sovereignty is a fundamental principle of American democracy, emphasizing that the government's authority comes from the people's consent. At its core, it declares that legitimate political power must originate from the people's will. In the United States, this principle is reflected in the election process where citizens vote to elect their representatives, such as the President, members of Congress, and state and local government officials.
The first way popular sovereignty is exercised is through free and fair elections, allowing citizens to choose their leaders. The second way is through the ability to initiate referendums and recalls, mechanisms that provide direct control over legislative decisions and enable the removal of elected officials. Popular sovereignty acts as a check on governmental power by ensuring that officials remain accountable to the electorate and can be voted out if they fail to represent the people's interests appropriately.
At the state level, governments derive their authority from state constitutions, which are framed in congruence with the broader principle of popular sovereignty. The tensions between national and state governments over policy matters often center around the balance of powers, as prescribed by the United States Constitution. State governments, like their federal counterpart, are organized into executive, legislative, and judicial branches, with governors acting as counterparts to the President. State and local levels of government hold powers relevant to the daily lives of citizens, such as education, police powers, and zoning.
Exclusive powers to the national government include foreign policy and national defense, while states possess powers related to public health and safety. Shared powers, or concurrent powers, include the ability to tax and create laws essential to the welfare of the public. Finally, the Constitution places limits on national powers through enumerated powers and the Tenth Amendment, which reserves all unenumerated powers to the states or the people.