2008 civics test · Question 3 · Principles of American Democracy
The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
Official answer
- We the People
What this means
The idea of self-government appears in the first three words of the Constitution, and those words are “We the People.”
The Preamble opens, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…” By starting with the people rather than a king or a government, the Constitution makes clear where its authority comes from: the people themselves.
That is the whole point of the phrase. The government exists because the people created it and agreed to be governed by it.
The 2025 test asks a slightly different version of this question, wanting the meaning of “We the People” (self-government). For the 2008 test, the officer just wants the three words: “We the People.”
Why this is on the test
The 2008 test asks for the exact opening words of the Constitution, a short fact that is easy to lock in once you have seen it written out.
How this question is asked
On the 2008 civics test, the officer asks up to 10 of the 100 questions out loud and you pass by answering 6 correctly. You answer in your own words. There is no multiple choice and nothing to write down for the civics portion.
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