Visit the Museum The Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach Citizen's Action Center

Go
WELCOME
THE U.S. CONSTITUTION
INTERACTIVE CONSTITUTION
CONSTITUTIONAL TIMELINE
FAST FACTS
BASIC GOVERNING PRINCIPLES
  • Popular Sovereignty
  • Rule of Law
  • Separation of Powers and a System of Checks and Balances
  • Federalism
  • Judicial Review
  • Individual Rights
    FOUNDING FATHERS
    FOUNDING DOCUMENTS
    For Kids
    CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY LINKS
    THREE PERSPECTIVES ON THE CONSTITUTION
    FURTHER RESOURCES
    Purchase Tickets
    Directions & Hours
    Calendar of Events
    Become a Member
    Museum Store
    About Us
    Podcasts
    Facility Rentals
    Press Room
     Go
    Tell a Friend

    Home  >  Explore the Constitution  >  Basic Governing Principles  > Rule of Law

    Rule of Law

    The Supreme Court
    The Framers considered the rule of law essential to the safekeeping of social order and civil liberties. The rule of law holds that if our relationships with each other and with the state are governed by a set of rules, rather than by a group of individuals, we are less likely to fall victim to authoritarian rule. The rule of law calls for both individuals and the government to submit to the law's supremacy. By precluding both the individual and the state from transcending the supreme law of the land, the Framers constructed another protective layer over individual rights and liberties

    Home
    Home | Feedback@ConstitutionCenter.org | Site Map
    525 Arch Street, Independence Mall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19106 ph.215.409.6600
    Content Copyright 2008, National Constitution Center. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy