Final answer:
The U.S. Constitution establishes five key principles: popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism. These principles guide the functionality and limitations of government power, ensuring democratic governance and the protection of individual liberties.
Step-by-step explanation:
The United States Constitution enshrines five foundational principles that have guided the nation since its inception. First, popular sovereignty ensures that the power of government is derived from the consent of the governed. As a reflection of this, elections and the process of democratic representation are cornerstones of the American system.
The second principle is limited government, which is mandated through the enumeration of powers and various checks and balances that prevent any single branch from asserting too much power. The third principle, separation of powers, divides the government into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial, each with distinct functions and responsibilities to prevent abuse.
This leads into the fourth cornerstone, checks and balances, where each branch has the authority to restrain the others, ensuring that no single entity can control the entire system. Lastly, federalism is a principle that recognizes the division of power between the national government and the states, allowing for local governance on certain issues while the federal government handles national concerns.