Grateful for the US Constitution
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Grateful for the US Constitution
In “Grateful for the US Constitution,” Episode #266, Meredith Curtis unwraps the great blessings inside the US Constitution in an easy-to-understand way. She explores the foundational design, core principles, and balance of power. Our Founding Fathers created three branches instead of one, preventing any single entity from gaining absolute control. The Constitution structured a federal government while preserving state and individual sovereignty and rights. Even the Founding Fathers who disliked the Constitution worked within its framework to create the Bill of Rights, safeguarding state and individual liberties.
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Show Notes
Do you know what the Constitution is all about?
What is the Constitution & Why Was It Written?
Highest law of the land. Written by wise men who loved freedom. Representatives from each state came together and drew up a mutual agreement, or plan, to create a union.
Reflects the authority of God: King, Law-Giver, Judge.
The Preamble, or introduction, to the Constitution gives six reasons for its creation. Here are those reasons.
- To create a better union of the American colonies, or a country that was blended together in a stronger way (“to form a more perfect union”)
- To create a just framework (“to establish justice”)
- To create a nation of peace and order filled with law-abiding citizens (“to ensure domestic tranquility”)
- To provide military protection for the new nation (“to provide for the common defense”)
- To create an atmosphere where all people would have the opportunity to work hard and prosper (“to promote the general welfare”)
- To keep our country safe from tyranny and to see freedom passed from generation to generation (“to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity”)
Three Branches of Government
Separation of Powers. Israel. The Spirit of the Laws by Charles de Montesquieu (1699-1755)
Executive Branch
- Commander in Chief
- Ceremonial Head of the Nation
- Represent the Nation to Foreign Nations and Dignitaries
- Enforce Laws
- Make Appointments
- Command Armed Forces
- Veto Power
Legislative Branch
- Make Laws
- Impose Taxes
- Coin Money
- Declare War
- Raise an Army & Navy
- Regulate Commerce
- Approve Treaties
- Approve Appointments
- Establish Rules of Immigration & Naturalization
- Establish Federal Courts & Their Jurisdictions
- Impeach President & Judges & Other Elected Officials
Judicial Branch
- Interpret Laws
- Declare Laws Unconstitutional
- Try Cases involving Federal Laws
Republic or Democracy?
“John Quincy Adams said, ‘The experience of all former ages has shown that of all human governments, democracy isthe most unstable, fluctuating, and short-lived.’
“A pure democracy operates by direct majority vote of the people. When an issue is to be decided, the entire populationvotes on it, the majority wins and rules. A republic differs in that the general population elects representatives who then pass laws to govern the nation.
“A democracy is the rule by majority feeling; a republic is rule by law.
“If the source of law for a democracy is the popular feeling of the people, then what is the source of law for theAmerican republic?
“According to Founder Noah Webster: ‘Our citizens should early understand that the genuine source of correctrepublican principles is the Bible, particularly the New Testament, or the Christian religion.”[i]
(Dave Barton of WallBuilders)
What Conflict Surrounded the Constitution
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
Bill of Rights
- First Amendment: Protects freedom of religion, speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the government.
- Second Amendment: Protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
- Third Amendment: Prohibits the forced quartering of soldiers in private homes during peacetime.
- Fourth Amendment: Protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures and requires warrants to be based on probable cause.
- Fifth Amendment: Guarantees due process, protects against self-incrimination and double jeopardy, and requires just compensation for private property taken for public use.
- Sixth Amendment: Ensures the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury, the right to confront witnesses, and the right to legal counsel in criminal cases.
- Seventh Amendment: Provides for the right to a jury trial in civil court cases involving property or money.
- Eighth Amendment: Prohibits excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishments.
- Ninth Amendment: Clarifies that people retain rights that are not explicitly listed in the Constitution.
- Tenth Amendment: Reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or to the people.
[i] David Barton, “Republic vs. Democracy”, posted Jan 2001 on Wallbuilders Website: https://wallbuilders.com/republic-v-democracy/ Accessed 7/6/20.
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