2025 civics test · Question 4 · Principles of American Government
The U.S. Constitution starts with the words "We the People." What does "We the People" mean?
Any one of these answers is accepted
- Self-government
- Popular sovereignty
- Consent of the governed
- People should govern themselves
- (Example of) social contract
What this means
The Constitution begins with the words “We the People.” They mean that the government’s power comes from the people, not from a king or a ruler. The people agree to govern themselves.
Any of these answers is accepted:
- Self-government
- Popular sovereignty
- The people should govern themselves
- Consent of the governed
The idea is simple. In the United States, the government works for the people and gets its authority from them. When citizens vote, they are using that power.
The 2008 test asks a related but different question: it asks for the first three words themselves, and the answer there is just “We the People.” For 2025, the officer wants the meaning, so answer “self-government” or “the people rule themselves.”
Why this is on the test
The 2025 test asks for the meaning of the Constitution's opening words, which is the idea of self-government at the heart of the country.
How this question is asked
On the 2025 civics test, the officer asks up to 20 of the 128 questions out loud and you pass by answering 12 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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