Newsletter: America's Foundation and Framework

Statement

Dear Friend,

We tend to take a lot of what makes America special for granted. The Fourth of July is a time to celebrate and honor the principles of our founding -- that God has given each individual certain inalienable rights and that the people loan limited power to government in order to protect those rights. It is also a time for each of us to rededicate ourselves to do our part to defend those principles from threats that would erode them here at home and from enemies abroad. We have a duty to pass along the blessing of America to future generations.

The Foundation: The Declaration of Independence

Historians debate the extent to which the words of the Declaration of Independence reflect a well-considered political philosophy or whether they were essentially Jefferson's rhetorical flourish. Whatever the case in 1776, generations of Americans have come to regard the Declaration as a nearly sacred text, providing the foundation of the relationship between American citizens and their government.

The crucial section of the Declaration says: "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."

Each phrase is full of meaning:

"We hold these Truths to be self-evident"

The great truths contained in the Declaration stand on their own. They are "self-evident" and require no supporting testimony or further evidence to prove their truth. They are foundational.

"All Men are created equal"

It took us time and a considerable amount of blood to get to the point where "all men" really means all men and all women, but we are there. Each individual has worth, and each should have opportunity.

"Endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights"

Our worth and our "rights' come from our Creator -- not from government, further establishing the foundational nature of the rights. Those rights cannot be taken away; they are inalienable, and they belong to each individual, not to a group or category of individuals, but to each person.

"Among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness"

The list is not exclusive, but it includes the essentials. Our Creator gives us life. He gives us liberty. And, He gives us the opportunity to pursue happiness as each individual defines it. Of course, the right to pursue happiness is not the same as the right to have happiness provided to you. Pursuit is active. It is something you do that requires effort.

Founder's notion of liberty can be misunderstood. As Matthew Spalding writes in We Still Hold These Truths:

"Liberty is the essential idea that is America. It is at once our greatest inheritance, our greatest achievement, and our greatest bequest to posterity."

There is a distinction between freedom and liberty. Freedom is a general lack of restraint. "But from the Founders' view, freedom must be understood within the context of constitutional and moral order, which meant reasonable limits and cultural bounds. Liberty means the rightful exercise of freedom, the balancing of rights and responsibilities."

Jefferson continued:

"That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men"

Thus, we come to the purpose of government -- to secure or protect those Creator-given rights.

"Deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed"

The powers of government to secure the Creator-given rights must be just, and they come from the consent of the people. Thus, the people loan to government some of the power given to the people by the Creator, but it is limited powers and only for the legitimate purposes of government.

The Framework: Our Constitution

The Declaration provides us the philosophical underpinning of our citizens' relationship with their government. The more practical framework of that limited government instituted to protect our Creator-given rights is provided by the Constitution. It is a written constitution with clear words that are available for all to read and understand, and those words trump any President or Supreme Court's wishes and desires in dealing with the problems of the day. This written Constitution provides the basis for the rule of law -- laws apply equally to all and no one is above or beyond its reach.

Two key features of the U.S. Constitution stand out. One is that it establishes a federal government of limited powers. Second, it divides power among three branches of government.

The Constitution enumerates -- or lists -- specific powers given to the three branches of the federal government. They are not illustrative examples; they are the complete list of powers given to the federal government. The Tenth Amendment makes clear that those powers not explicitly given to the three branches are reserved for the people and for the individual states.

Those powers that are given to the federal government are divided among three separate and equal branches of government. The Founders knew the problems that would develop if any one of the branches became dominant. In the modern communications era, however, the Executive, speaking with one voice, has the upper hand. For government to function as intended, each branch must stand up to its proper constitutional role.

I invite you to learn more about this issue and others by visiting my website here. Have a question you would like answered? Please contact me by phone, letter, e-mail,on Facebook, or on Twitter.

May God bless our country - and the amazing men and women who protect us.

Sincerely,

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