Foundational Documents in American Government

Declaration of Independence

Natural rights: People are born with inherent rights, and the government's role is to protect these rights.
Popular sovereignty: The people are the source of governmental power; they have the right to abolish an unjust government.
Social contract: An agreement where people give up some individual rights in exchange for protection and order.

State sovereignty: States retained supreme authority within their territories.
Each state had one vote in the Congress.
Congress lacked the power to collect taxes or regulate interstate commerce, hindering its ability to function effectively.
Absence of executive and judicial branches led to a weak central government.
States operated largely independently, pursuing their own interests.

Separation of powers: Governmental authority is divided among three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.
Checks and balances: Each branch of government has the ability to limit the power of the other branches.
Federalism: Power is divided between a central government and state governments.
Republican form of government: A system in which people elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf.
Limited government: Governmental power is restricted by a constitution and the rule of law.
Bill of Rights and Amendments: Guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms to individuals.

Factions as a threat: James Madison argues that factions, groups that pursue their own interests at the expense of the common good, pose the greatest danger to the republic.
Inevitable factions: Factions are unavoidable due to the nature of liberty; they cannot be eliminated without infringing on freedom.
Controlling factions: The negative effects of factions can be managed in a large republic, not through a direct democracy.
Large republic: A large republic dilutes the influence of individual factions, making it more difficult for any single faction to dominate.

Small republic: Advocates for a small, decentralized republic.
Irreversible power: Warns against ceding power to a central government, as it may never be regained.
Elastic clause: Expresses concern that the elastic clause grants the federal government excessive power.
Taxation: Argues that the power to tax can lead to governmental tyranny.
State destruction: Believes the federal government will ultimately undermine and destroy the states.

Need for government: Acknowledges the necessity of government to restrain the ambition of individuals, since people are not inherently virtuous.
Limited government: Emphasizes the importance of limiting governmental power to prevent corruption.
Separation of powers: Divides power among the three branches to counteract ambition and prevent any one branch from becoming too dominant.
Checks and balances: Each branch is empowered to guard its own power and to restrain the other branches, maintaining equilibrium.
Congressional power: Recognizes that Congress possesses the most power, necessitating its division into two houses that can check each other's power.

Unitary executive: Hamilton defends the concept of a unitary executive, arguing for a single, strong leader.
Energetic executive: The executive branch must be both strong and energetic to act decisively.
Executive speed: The executive branch can act more swiftly and decisively than a large legislative body.

Least dangerous branch: The judiciary is the least dangerous branch, as it lacks the power to make laws, declare war, or enforce its rulings.
Life terms: Life terms for judges insulate them from political pressures and external influences.
Judicial review: The power of judicial review enables the judiciary to review and invalidate laws that conflict with the Constitution.

Ideals of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution: Demands that the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, particularly the 14th Amendment, be universally applied.
List of grievances: Presents a list of grievances, mirroring the structure of the Declaration of Independence.
Freedom through demand: Argues that freedom is never voluntarily granted but must be actively demanded by the oppressed.
Civil disobedience: Advocates for civil disobedience as a means of challenging unjust laws.