There are numerous reasons why we
should celebrate the birthday of our nation on the Fourth of July, otherwise
known as Independence Day. One reason is that the United States is one of
greatest nations that have ever existed on earth. It became so great because
its government is based on the Constitution. The United States Constitution is basically
an idea that mankind is capable of self-government. The establishment of a
government under this Constitution is an experiment to see if the idea works.
Since the United States of America
has operated under its Constitution for more than 230 years and is the most
powerful nation in the world today, the idea has proven to be worthwhile. Under
this big umbrella of self-government there are six significant ideas contained
in the Constitution: (1) popular sovereignty, (2) limited government, (3)
republicanism, (4) separation of power, (5) checks and balances, and (6)
federalism.
Popular sovereignty means that the
citizens of the nation hold the power and loans some of this power to
representatives in the government for a time.
Limited government means that the
power given to the government is limited by the people. The government has only
as much power as the people allow it to have. Thomas Jefferson warned against
allowing the government to become too big: “A government big enough to give you
everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”
Republicanism
is a form of government where the power resides in the people and the people
elect representatives to make the decisions of government. One example is the
Electoral College that makes the final vote for President and Vice President. The
United States is a republic and has a republican-type of government, not a
democracy. However, it does utilize a few democratic principles, such as the popular
election of Senators and Representatives. Republicanism always opposes
aristocracy, monarchy, and corruption because it places greater emphasis on the
rights of the people as a whole. This is why the Constitution begins with the
phrase “We The People.” Such a government is maintained only when virtuous
citizens exercise self-control and insist that the government work for the good
of the people. One important way to control the size of government is to
control our own actions. When the people keep themselves under control, there
is no need for more government to control them.
Separation of powers means that the
power of the federal government is separated into three branches – Executive,
Legislative, and Judicial. Each branch is expected to focus on their assigned
responsibilities, which are: The Executive branch is given the responsibility
to enforce the laws of the nation. The Legislative branch is given the
responsibility of making the laws. The Judicial branch decides if the laws are
constitutional and to see that justice is given to those who break the laws.
The system known as Checks and Balances means that each
branch of the federal government is checked and balanced by the other two
branches. If and when one branch gains too much power, the other two branches
either decrease the power of that branch or build up their own power in order
that all three branches maintain equal power. It is critical in our government
that the power remains separate.
Federalism divides the
power of government between the federal government and the sovereign states. The
Constitution outlines the powers given to the federal government. Amendment Ten in the Bill of Rights attached to the Constitution says that any “powers not
delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the
states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”
With such a great country and
Constitution, we must question why so many citizens of our nation are pushing to
change our type of government. There are those who think that socialism is a
good in spite of all the times that it has failed. There are others who think
that sharia law is better than constitutional law even though they emigrated from
countries where sharia law is practiced in order to enjoy the freedoms of the
United States.
If Americans desire to enjoy the
greatest of freedoms and liberties available any place in the world, we must
maintain our constitutional way of life. If we do not, we will be forced to
face future generations and explain why we stood by and allowed our government
to be changed. If the American experiment fails, there is no other place to go.
America is our last great hope for freedom and liberty. Happy Birthday,
America!
