Question 4 of 128 · American Government · Principles of American Government
The U.S. Constitution starts with the words “We the People.” What does “We the People” mean?
Accepted answers
- Self-government
- Popular sovereignty
- Consent of the governed
- People should govern themselves
- (Example of) social contract
Any one of these is accepted, unless the question asks for more than one.
Why this is the answer
The Constitution opens with the people, not with a king, and that choice of words is the whole point. The government exists because the people created it and agreed to be governed by it; that agreement is what "social contract" and "consent of the governed" mean. Because the final authority belongs to the people, political scientists call it popular sovereignty. In plain words: the people govern themselves, which is self-government. All five official answers describe the same fact from different angles, so learn the idea and any of them will come to you. Memory hook: the first three words answer the question "who is in charge here?" The people are.