Today, millions upon millions of Americans, in 2,169 cities, from Maine to California, from Florida to Washington, and in many locations in between, are celebrating freedom, our heritage, and our future summed up in our Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [and women] are created equal, that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The United States Constitution establishes our Nation’s government powers, the goals of the government, and most importantly, the citizen’s individual rights. These aspects of the Constitution rest upon the principles of the Constitution. The principles are:

        ◦ Popular Sovereignty
        ◦ Limited Government
        ◦ Separation of Powers
        ◦ Federalism
        ◦ Checks and Balances
        ◦ Republicanism
        ◦ Individual Rights
        ◦ Democracy

The Constitution comprises three sections, namely the Preamble, the Articles, and the Bill of Rights. Throughout these sections, the principles of the constitution reoccur and build upon one another, which is what makes our nation’s founding document strong and meaningful. 

Principles in the Preamble

The Preamble of the Constitution defines the goals of the document. The principle of popular sovereignty is on display in the opening words, “We the People.” Popular sovereignty is the idea that the citizens of a country create the government’s power and assign that power as they see fit. This is opposed to a monarchy, or an autocracy, or a plutocracy, or a dictatorship where bloodlines and holy lineage gave monarchs or the wealthy the right to rule.

The principle of popular sovereignty gives the term “We the People” meaning. It is a declaration of power for the people and is upheld throughout the rest of the Constitution. The Preamble continues to list the other fundamental goals of the constitution, which include:

         ◦ To form a more perfect Union
         ◦ To establish justice
         ◦ To insure domestic tranquility
         ◦ To provide for the common defense
         ◦ To promote general welfare
         ◦ To secure the blessings of liberty

Liberty is the freedom to act within our rules, not in loyalty oaths to any person. Other principles of the Constitution introduced in the Preamble are separation of powers and checks and balances.

The Preamble tells us the Constitution is meant to establish justice. Within justice is the inherent structure of a separation of powers that enables checks and balances. The Articles of the Constitution develop the specifics of these principles to fulfill the goal of establishing justice.  These principles are built entirely on trust, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.