This post was originally published on this site.
Article V of the U.S. Constitution
Previously Recorded by Phyllis Schlafly
A new federal law takes effect this month that requires every school and college receiving federal money to teach about the United States Constitution on September 17, That’s the anniversary of the day the document was signed in Philadelphia in 1787. Our U.S. Constitution is the oldest and longest-lasting constitution in all the world’s history! Every American should read it to understand why it is the fountainhead of our great liberties – religious, political, and economic. The Constitution is the instrument that has enabled America to grow and prosper, becoming the most powerful country in the world, while at the same time preserving individual freedoms.
What is it about our Constitution that caused these happy results and made people all over the world want to come to America? The FIRST principle of our Constitution is the sovereignty of “we the people.” The American philosophy is that government is the servant of the people, not their master. President Ronald Reagan expressed this concept in modern terms when he said that government is
the problem, not the solution.
The SECOND principle is our reliance on a written Constitution. Our Founding Fathers gave us a government of laws, not of men. The THIRD principle of the Constitution is limited government, the concept that the Federal Government enjoys only the powers that are listed, and no others. The FOURTH principle of our Constitution is the Separation of Powers, so that each branch can serve as a check on the others. The FIFTH principle of the Constitution is economic freedom for every individual and the right of private property. The SIXTH principle of the Constitution is representative government under constitutional procedures. Government is by our elected representatives, not by direct rule of the people.
The U.S. Constitution was as perfect as humans could make it. The great French writer, Alexis de Toqueville, pronounced it “the most perfect Federal Constitution that ever existed.” I hope all Americans will read our Constitution today.
