Fundamental Constitutional Principles We Should ALL Know

CONSTITUTION 101. To better understand how our system of government is supposed to operate, it is very important to understand these foundational principles (2 min):

1. The Declaration of Independence (DOI) says that rights come from God and that the purpose of government is to secure those rights God gave us. (Read the DOI and let this stick.)

2. The US Constitution does not list OUR rights. What it does is list--enumerate--those rights We the People, through our respective State governments, have delegated to the federal/general government. (Extremely important concept to remember. The Constitution was intended as a brake on the federal government.)

3. The 9th Amendment addresses “rights” and says just because a “right” isn’t listed in the Constitution doesn’t mean we don’t have it. (See DOI).

4. The 10th Amendment deals with “powers” not delegated by We the People, through our State governments, to the fed gov’t, and that those powers not SPECIFICALLY/EXPRESSLY delegated in the Constitution to the federal government by We the People, through our respective State governments, are reserved to the States or the People. (Thus, federal power is extremely truncated, limited, this by original design.)

If you incorporate these foundational principles in your thinking, you will be light-years ahead of 95%+ of law school grads whose education is grounded in case law--not the Constitution.