Final answer:
In American democracy, 'limited government' ensures individual rights by restricting government powers, while 'individual rights' define the scope of government limitations, creating a mutually reinforcing relationship. Thus, the correct answer is both a and b. These principles work together to protect freedoms and restrain government overreach.
Step-by-step explanation:
The principles of limited government and individual rights are closely connected within the framework of American democracy. A limited government is one whose legalized force and power is restricted through delegated and enumerated authorities, which are defined in a constitution. This creates a system of checks and balances, ensuring that the government cannot overstep its bounds and infringe upon the rights of individuals. Conversely, the very notion of individual rights, especially as outlined in documents such as the Bill of Rights, helps to define the scope of government limitation. These rights ensure that certain areas of citizens' lives are beyond the purview of government intrusion, thus creating a protected space for the exercise of freedoms like speech, assembly, and religion.
In practice, democracies balance these two principles by constructing laws and regulations that reflect the will of the majority while still protecting the rights of all citizens, including minorities. Through a representative government where citizens elect officials to act on their behalf, and with a foundational constitution that embodies both the government's limits and citizens' rights, the ideals of limited government and individual rights are intertwined and reinforce each other.
Therefore, the correct answer to how 'limited government' and 'individual rights' are related is both a and b, as limited government ensures individual rights by constraining its own powers, while individual rights determine the extent to which government is limited and define the democratic space within which individuals can act.