This answer will only consider the Constitution itself, the product of the Philadelphia Convention, not the amendments that followed.
Popular sovereignty is perhaps best defined as the theory that political power in a government ultimately rests with the people, rather than a unified sovereign in the form of a king. The Constitution makes it clear that its powers are derived from the people in the opening three words of the Preamble: "We the People." In short, the document, or more accurately the government established by the document, was given its authority by the people. Elsewhere, Article I, Section 2 establishes that the members of the House of Representatives will be chosen by "the People of the several States" in biennial elections. This is the most direct statement of popular sovereignty in the Constitution, which, prior to the adoption of amendments, did not require that the people could choose senators. The President, of course, is chosen by the Electoral College, and no requirement that the people choose electors is in Article II of the Constitution.
As for political equality, it is difficult to find explicit statements in the Constitution. The framers did not, as a general rule, accept that political equality as we imagine it today was desirable. The concept of equality was most clearly expressed in the Fourteenth Amendment, which required equal protection under law for all American citizens. Certain measures, however, did point toward political equality. One was the requirement that members of the House should be chosen from districts apportioned by population. This was not yet the "one person, one vote" principle established in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement, but it did mean that each citizen, in theory, was equally represented. The Constitution, despite the desires of some members of the Convention, also pointedly made no reference to property ownership as a requirement for voting. Many states, however, did.
Political liberty is primarily established in the Constitution through limits on the powers of the federal government. Most of these, of course, were included in the Bill of Rights. But the Constitution includes many specific restraints on the powers of the government and the officials within it. The system of checks and balances, for example, was understood as protecting the liberties of citizens by curbing the powers of the President and Congress in particular. The principle that states kept the power to set election requirements was framed as a way of balancing federal power with that of the states, which were seen as more conducive to political liberties.
https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/article/article-i
https://teachingamericanhistory.org/resources/bor/four-freedoms/
First let us start with some definitions on these topics, and then we can explore the Constitution for examples of these definitions within the document.
Popular Sovereignty—Popular sovereignty is essentially the belief that the power of a government to govern a nation comes from the people who are governed. This belief is very similar to the idea of social contract.
Political Equality—This is the belief that all citizens within a given nation are granted equal political power regarding government decisions. For example, in the United States each citizen is allowed to vote one time.
Political Liberty—This is the right of citizens to freely express their beliefs and views regarding the conduct and composition of their government.
Now let's take a look at the Constitution to see if we can find examples of these concepts.
From the very first words, the framers of the Constitution made it very clear that popular sovereignty would be a core value of the new government. The document starts off with the words "We the people." This may seem small, but the choice of words was significant and with purpose. They did not choose "We the government" or "We the founders" or some other statement. The choice of "We the people" showed that it would be the people of the nation, not the leadership or a small group of individuals, who would form this new government. It is an inclusive statement and makes it very clear that the power of this new government will come from the people.
In Article I Section 2 we find an example of political liberty. Here it states how representatives will be selected for the House of Representatives by the people. This is an example of the citizens being directly involved in the composition of their government. It can also be interpreted as an example of political equality, with each citizen having the right to participate in the elections.
The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature. (Art. I Sec. 2)
In Article III Section 4 of the Constitution, we see examples of political liberty, popular sovereignty, and political equality in action. Here it states that the United States will guarantee that each state maintains a republican form of government. If a government is to be a republic, it is necessary for that government to allow the people to have a say in how the government is run and who makes up the government. This implies that citizens will be active participants within their state governments.
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened), against domestic Violence. (Art. III Sec. 4)
If we continue to include the Bill of Rights (Amendments 1–10) we can find still more examples of these principles. The Bill of Rights was essential to the ratification of the Constitution, so I feel it is important that we take a look at some examples of these principles in the Bill of Rights. I would like to particularly focus on the First Amendment to the Constitution.
The First Amendment provides us with a great example of political liberty. Included in the first amendment are the freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition. This amendment protects the rights of American citizens to freely express their beliefs regarding the government. In the United States, one has the political liberty to criticize the leaders or actions of their government. They also have the freedom to publish literature of the same nature. Citizens of the United States also have the freedom to peacefully assemble and even demonstrate to express their political views.
Additionally it is protected for citizens to petition the government to make changes if they feel it is necessary. This can be interpreted as an example of popular sovereignty. It is giving people the power to allow their elected officials to know what they see as a problem and to demand change.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Through the excerpts and examples provided above, we can see that the ideals of popular sovereignty, political equality, and political liberty are clearly expressed in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/political-liberty
https://www.russellsage.org/research/reports/political-equality
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