Final answer:
The six big ideas of the American Constitution are limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, popular sovereignty, and the rule of law. These ideas help to protect individual rights and prevent the abuse of power in government.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the American Constitution, there are six big ideas: limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, popular sovereignty, and the rule of law.
Limited government refers to the idea that the power of the government should be restricted to prevent abuse of power.
Separation of powers means that the government is divided into three branches (executive, legislative, and judicial), each with its own responsibilities and powers.
Checks and balances is the system where each branch of government has the ability to limit the power of the other branches to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful.
Federalism is the division of power between the national government and the state governments. This allows for a balance of power and allows states to have some autonomy in certain areas.