Question

What is the principle of the U.S. Constitution that gives the people the right to establish their own government?

Answer 1

The idea of "consent of the governed"--that a government's power and legitimacy is only lawful if the people it exercises authority over agrees to it. The Founders believed that if a government was not consented to or ceaseed to be consented to by the people, it could justifiably be overthrown and replaced.