2025 civics test · Question 4 of 128 · Principles of American Government
The U.S. Constitution starts with the words “We the People.” What does “We the People” mean?
In Chinese 美国宪法以“我们人民”（We the People）开头。“我们人民”是什么意思？
Official answers
- Self-government自治
- Popular sovereignty人民主权
- Consent of the governed被统治者的同意
- People should govern themselves人民应当自己治理自己
- (Example of) social contract社会契约（的例子）
Any one of these answers is accepted unless the question asks for more than one.
Why this is the answer
“We the People” are the first words of the Constitution’s Preamble. They show that the government’s power comes from the people, not from a king. This idea is called popular sovereignty or consent of the governed: people govern themselves by agreeing to a government and choosing its leaders, a kind of social contract between citizens and their government.