After the Constitutional Convention ended, a resident of Philadelphia went up to Benjamin Franklin and asked him what was to be the new government? Franklin supposedly responded, "A republic, if you can keep it."

If "We the People" rule the United States, republicanism explains how the people rule. Republicanism is the system of government in which the people elect leaders who will make the day-to-day decisions of government and are supposed to represent their interests. Popular sovereignty is exercised through elections. If the people approve of the decisions the leaders make, they will be re-elected; if they do not, they will be replaced.

In the federal government, the people vote for four different people: a local congressman to serve in the House of Representatives, two senators, which represent their state, and of course, the president. The Presidency is the only office that the whole country votes on.

Activity

Find Your Representatives in Congress

In this activity, you will learn about the people who represent you and some facts about past representatives.

Go to the U.S. Senate's Texas page: States in the Senate.

• Who are the two senators from Texas? Where are they from?
• What former Texas senators have appeared on postage stamps?
• What Texas senator was once the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate?

Go the U.S. House of Representative's page: Find Your Representative.

• Who is your local congressman? What political party is he or she a member?
• What district does he or she represent? What is the geographic area of that district?
• Describe one important issue for that representative.