Final answer:
James Madison asserted that governmental power is derived from the people, in line with republican and democratic principles, where the consent of the governed establishes the legitimacy of a government's authority.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to James Madison, governmental power is derived from the people. This is a foundational concept in the American republican system of government, where the citizens exercise their sovereignty by electing representatives to govern on their behalf. The United States Constitution begins with "We the People," expressing the Enlightenment idea that a government's legitimate power comes from the consent of the governed. The federal system acknowledges this principle by granting certain express powers to the national government while reserving a broad array of powers for the states and the people. Lastly, Madison highlighted this democratic principle in the construction of the American government, where public officials are expected to emerge from the general society and not from a specific privileged class or group.