The Federal Constitution almost did not get ratified because the American People feared losing their hard won, governmental, state recognition of their Inalienable or Natural Rights. These are the rights that all humans have simply for being born, like one’s rights to self- defense and to provide a living for themselves. The list of our Innate, Natural Rights, to live our lives in freedom and privacy, is almost endless. That is why the founders used words such as “further restrictive clauses” on the government while adding the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. The People, by highlighting those words, were stating with authority that the Federal Government, which they created, was limited in what it could do. Yet, knowing human nature and what power does to humans, the American People wanted added reassurance of keeping the power of the government in check, by adding “further restrictive” clauses to the Constitution so that it would be clear that the Federal Government could not trespass on the People’s Natural, Innate Rights.
The American Government did not give us the right of free speech. Free speech is an innate right we were born with. The government’s job is to protect that Innate Right. “Congress shall make no law….,” is how the First Amendment starts. The American People told the government what it had authority over and what it did not, not the other way around. The wording of the First Amendment by The People told the government they could make “NO LAW” concerning the People’s free speech, religion, assembly and redress. This is what the American People told the American Government that they created.
The American People also told the American Government in the Second Amendment that:
“……for the security of a free people, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed by the federal government.” In some state constitutions, the language is even clearer using the words…. “ the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall never be questioned.” Since many state constitutions, which we still live under today, were written before the Federal Constitution, if one wanted to know what the founders thought about fire arms, one might want to read what those constitutions say about the right of the average American to bear and keep arms.
The body of the Federal Constitution lists twenty areas of power given to the Federal Government. No where in the Constitution was the Federal Government given authority to decide matters, or make law concerning our right to keep and carry guns; although, the second Amendments clearly tells the American Government that We, The People, are keeping our rights to keep and bear arms. Again, as the founders themselves described, the powers given to the central government, are narrow, limited, few, and well define. The reason for that was to prevent tyranny from developing, so Americans could remain free and proper while staying in charge of their own lives.
Understanding that not all people are ethical, all of the time, especially those holding power positions, the founders strived to put clear and straightforward language into this Constitution to avoid as much political misinterpretation as possible, because of bias and greed. It was written in a simple way so that all Americans could understand its meaning. However, being students of human nature, the founders knew that many who attained powerful positions in this new government could have unclean ethics. People, who disagreed with what was clearly written down, would try to fudge words, or ideas, while creating loop holes to break through the chains of the Constitution. The chains of the Constitution that people refer to, is the clear language written for the purpose of limiting the authority of the Federal Government, so those in power would remain public servants to the People, and not become their masters, which was a great fear of the People who had just fought a bloody revolution
These early Americans stressed the importance of keeping control of any government they created by limiting it range of power to a few specific areas that they had any authority over. It was through the language of the Constitution, that We The People tied the hands of power, of all future government officials and workers, by limiting their authority of power to what the Constitution said they could do. By restricting the government to just twenty well defined areas of authority, they believed this would keep tyranny from raising its ugly head as it had done before and devouring the innate freedoms of the average human being.
The chains of the Constitution were the restrictions and power limitations that We The People gave to the government. However, even with limiting the government’s authority to just twenty areas of concerns written into the original body of the Constitution, most Americans were not satisfied that those chains would be strong enough to hold tyranny at bay; so the Bill of Rights was offered as a further safety- net for our Innate, freedoms trying to make it crystal clear what the limitations of Federal Government Powers were.
On purpose or not, or through ignorance or not, few schools teach the preamble of the Bill of Rights. This preamble is important because it states the purpose for the Bill of Rights. It states:
“The Conventions of a number of states, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to PREVENT MISCONSTRUCTION OR ABUSE OF ITS POWERS, THAT FURTHER DECLARATORY AND RESTRICTIVE CLAUSES BE ADDED…..” It is interesting how the Founders were seemingly trying to “help” the courts avoid any “misconstruction” by adding this additional information on the chains of government restriction of what the government can and cannot do. And notice the words: “that further declaratory and restrictive clauses be added…” What does this tell us what was on the minds of Americans while forming this central government? Did they think they were receiving their rights from this new government, or is it quite clear they were trying to preserve the rights they already had by trying to curtail anyone who might have governmental power arrogance, or inclined to abuse their power. Hmmm… how many, serving in power positions in Washington D.C. become so much wealthier after working in these positions for several years? Power is mostly always abused on some level. That is why we have to watch carefully those we give power to. Those in power seldom are actual public servants. Mostly they all scratch each others backs, harvesting the wealth, unethically, from those they were elected to serve.
It is often said that the “chains of the Constitution” have been broken. They have been. So how are we going to take our power back? How are we going to force those in power to walk the straight and narrow? How do the People force those in power positions, on the national, state and local level, to be ethical and not to overreach the power that was given to them? Today, America is America in name only. Our rights have not been protected by those given authority to protect them. From Members of Congress, to the local police officer, everyday people in power positions are trespassing on our rights.
Many people, in governmental position, over the decades, not only ignored and trespassed on our “protected rights” but have actively and, systematically, stripped away, our rights by government overreach, and the weakening of the American intellect by diluting the teachings about our Constitution, and fundamental principles of our country in our schools. This ongoing increase of the government power, have turned the tables on The People so they are no longer the masters of the government but its servants, and that is called tyranny.
All positions of power: Congress, the State Department, the Treasury, the Department of Justice and many others, including local police took an oath to uphold the Constitution. If one takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, then repeatedly fails to uphold it, what is that called?
Why is it is okay for the FBI to lie to you, but if you tell even a white lie to the FBI, you go to jail….. hence Martha Stewart’s issue. Some officials, perhaps many officials, who take the oath, will, some of the time, perhaps all of the time, choose to ignore it. Does that make them criminals? I think so. It should be a high ranking crime for anyone in public office not to uphold the Constitution. Some, perhaps many, fail to uphold it do so out of ignorance. Therefore, I think, in order for the People to keep track of the People’s money as well as keep the chains of the Constitution strong, before anyone can take an Oath to uphold the Constitution, they should first have to pass a public test to prove that they know what it states, especially about the restrictions that it puts on the government.
Could your local police chief, state representative, Congressperson, senator, governor, town council member pass a standardized test on the Constitution? Could you? And that is a big problem, because that wide spread ignorance of our basic laws and rights is how Americans lost control of their government and contributed to the economic mess bearing down on middle income Americans. Through keeping the masses in the dark, those in power easily broke through the chains of the Constitution, and harvested your wealth, while destroying your freedom and your privacy, and that of your children’s and grandchildren.
Do you want your children and grandchildren to keep their privacy, freedom and wealth? Then start studying and reading the Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights. Read your State Constitution. Read the Declaration of Independence. If reading the Constitution with Webster’s Dictionary by your side is too dry and boring for you, pick up a copy of W. Cleon Skousen text book: “The Making of America. The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution.” Have your kids read it over summer vacation. Give a copy to the school board, your children’s teacher. Test yourself in your own knowledge of what you actually know about how your government is supposed to run. Go online and read the Grand’Pa Jack’s series on teaching children about their government and their natural rights that their government is suppose to protect. Knowing the Constitution inside out
makes it harder for those in authority to pull the wool over your eyes. Instead of helping government overreach through your ignorance, you can keep the government in line through your knowledge,
This very real issue of officials not upholding the Constitution appears to be coming to a fine line of contention that will soon explode in all Americans lives.