The Six Principles on Which America Became Exceptional

A principle is a fundamental law of nature or a code of conduct that you should follow, and America was built on principles. In particular, our nation was built on six specific principles, which are sometimes called the 'First Principles' or 'Founding Principles', and throughout our history we have followed these fundamental laws of nature or codes of conduct. In no particular order, here they are, with some discussion and things to think about.

Popular Sovereignty. If you have trouble remembering what popular sovereignty is, first think to yourself "What does the word “popular” mean?" (people) and then think to yourself "What does the word “sovereignty” mean?" (king). Popular sovereignty (or sometimes called the sovereignty of the people) is the belief that the legitimacy of the state is created by the will of its people- or in other words, that the state needs the consent of the people to rule, because the people of the state are the source of all political power. Benjamin Franklin expressed the concept when he wrote, "In free governments the rulers are the servants and the people their superiors and sovereigns." Our Preamble begins by specifying that the power for our government comes from "we the people." But it is important to ask whether America still follows this principle today? Do government officials today behave as if they are working for you- or you are working for them? Does our government still do the will of the people? Who is the servant and who is the master in America today?

Limited Government. This is an easy one to figure out- limited government is a government where any more than minimal governmental intervention in personal liberties and the economy is not allowed. Also called constitutionalism- government must limit itself to the constitution on which it is based  Another way of thinking about it is that in a limited government, government can ONLY do those things which it is specifically given the power to do. Our nation wasn't based on 'weak' or 'strong' government, or 'active' and 'inactive'- it was based on a limited government that can only do those things that are given to it to do. If it isn't a limited government, that means it is an unlimited government, and an unlimited government is a scary thing. This principle was so important, our founding fathers built in many features of our government to promote it- checks and balances, separation of powers, federalism, and even the Bill of Rights. Does America still follow this principle today? If you said yes, show me where in the Constitution the government is given the power to....make schools take assessment tests? Regulate and control healthcare? Regulate companies in the name of fighting global warming? Control banks? Buy stock in housing companies? Punish baseball players for taking steroids? Make someone join a labor union? Speculate on windmills? Tell an executive he/she is making too much? You can debate whether these things are desirable or not, but it is much harder to debate whether or not a limited government has the power to even do these things.
 
Federalism. Self-government was important to our founding fathers, so they put in place a federal system of government, where the power is shared between the national and state governments. Think about it yourself- who should control your behavior- your local township/city? Your state? Your nation? The world? Who should be telling you what you should and should not do? Our Founding Fathers (correctly) believed that your local friends and family and coworkers in your state know best how to run some aspects of your life, yet other aspects should be run in Washington DC- and yet other aspects of our lives should only be run by ourselves. So they put in place a federal system of government to reflect where power should properly lie. Does America still follow this principle today? Do you ever hear this principle mentioned by any government officials, especially national leaders? Do they ever talk about letting states decide major issues, or do they always push for the national government to decide everything? Who should decide (state or national)…healthcare- who is covered, how much, etc? Education- what is taught, what standards, etc? Transportation- where roads, speed limits, etc? Natural Resources- parks, drilling, etc? Before any discussion can be attempted on what to do, you need to ask 'who should be doing it'.
 
Separation of Powers. One of the ways of preventing tyranny is to set up government so that one branch or one person doesn’t have all the political power. So the basic powers of government are distributed among three distinct separate independent branches of government- the legislative (who makes laws), executives (who executes laws), and judicial (who judges laws). In the US, this is Congress, President, and Supreme Court. There are problems with this system- by putting political power in 3 branches, it takes political power from the branch closest the people- the legislative- and give it to branches more prone to tyranny- the executive and judicial. It also creates an inefficient government that can never seem to get anything done, and some people doubt whether or not we have the luxury of following this principle in in times of war? Because of this, this principle has been under attack for years. What do you think- does America still follow this principle today?

Checks and Balances. Although it is important to create three separate and distinct branches of government, you don’t want them to be totally separate or else there will be no way to check them and balance their power. So, in reality, the branches are not completely separate or independent of one another. Each branch is subject to another of restraints, or checks, on it by the other branches. These restraints work to balance the three branches, so that one branch does not become more powerful than the others. The good thing about this principle is that our founding fathers spelled these checks out pretty clearly in the Constitution, and it is rather tough to get around them. But one does wonder- does America still follow this principle today? Are all the branches still balanced? If not, which branch of government has emerged as the most powerful branch today?
 
Judicial Review. One check is so important to our political system, it is elevated to a founding principle soon after our nation was created. What if Congress or the President uses their power in a way that the Constitution does not allow them to do? Or, who decides if everyone is following the Constitution? Judicial review is the idea that the judicial branch can review laws of Congress or actions of the President and judge whether they are following the Constitution. Careful though- judicial review doesn't mean that judges get to decide whether Congress and the President are 'right' or 'wrong'- only whether they are in fact following the Constitution. Is it right that the Supreme Court (9 unelected old lawyers with lifetime terms) get to decide what our Constitution says- shouldn’t the Congress or President do this? What if judges decide to read things into the Constitution that are not there- do we have to follow what they say? Who rules America- judges/lawyers or elected officials? Does America still follow this principle today?

These questions and these thoughts are important, because for some reason, America grew from thirteen little tiny poor states crowding the Atlantic to conquering a continent, and then dominating the world in a way that has never been done before. A lot of nations have a lot of different advantages, but for some reason, America is strangely more powerful then any nations before or after, whether you judge by military power, economic power, cultural impact, or anything else. Why is America Exceptional? What is it about America that makes it different from any other country in the world- different from any other country ever- that makes it exceptional. What is it that makes America exceptional, and not just another country? Is it religious- are we blessed by God? Is it genetic- racial traits or brain drain? Is it environmental- fertile lands, mild climate, rich natural resources? These may play a role, but I would advance that what makes America Exceptional is our our continued belief in the basic principles on which our nation was established. Popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, judicial review, and federalism- our ancestors fought and died to build a government based on these foundational principles behind our Constitution, and by following these codes and fundamental laws, our nation has become the greatest ever.

One last question to leave you with today- what will it mean for our country if we stray from these principles?

You've all been great! Class is over.