Final answer:
The US claims legitimacy and authority through popular sovereignty and rational-legal legitimacy, with governing power derived from the consent of the people, as guided by the Constitution and democratic principles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The United States claims legitimacy and authority based on the concept of popular sovereignty, where the power to govern is derived from the consent of the people. Legitimacy in the United States is grounded in the belief that the President, Congress, and other government officials have the right to rule because they were elected by the people, either directly or indirectly.
This democratic principle is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, which acts as the supreme law of the land. When elected officials no longer serve the will of the people or fail to fulfill the social contract, they can be voted out of office. This reflects the people's sovereignty and their control over who wields power.
Furthermore, modern democracies like the United States possess rational-legal legitimacy, wherein the legitimacy of the role of governance is recognized, notwithstanding individual actors within. The organizational framework, and the belief in that structure, sustain the authority and legitimacy of the state.