What are the first three words of the Constitution that express the idea of self-government?

What are the first three words of the Constitution that express the idea of self-government?

• A. We the people
• B. We the states
• C. In God We Trust
• D. We the citizens

Answer: (A)

Popular sovereignty—the idea that the people hold the authority to govern—is shown right in the opening words of the Constitution. The first three words are “We the People,” signaling that the government derives its power from citizens and exists to serve them. This framing comes from the Preamble, which immediately sets the purpose of the document as forming a union with the people’s consent. The other options don’t fit the exact text of the Constitution. “We the States” would place authority in the states rather than the people; “In God We Trust” is a motto not part of the Constitution’s opening; and “We the citizens” isn’t the actual wording used.

Popular sovereignty—the idea that the people hold the authority to govern—is shown right in the opening words of the Constitution. The first three words are “We the People,” signaling that the government derives its power from citizens and exists to serve them. This framing comes from the Preamble, which immediately sets the purpose of the document as forming a union with the people’s consent.

The other options don’t fit the exact text of the Constitution. “We the States” would place authority in the states rather than the people; “In God We Trust” is a motto not part of the Constitution’s opening; and “We the citizens” isn’t the actual wording used.