Three Fundamental Principles Of The American Constitution

The American Constitution is the document that the American government is modelled after. Any decision made in the government, in any branch and at any level, must be in compliance with the Constitution. Consequently, the Constitution is one of the most important documents in American politics. Being that the Constitution is so very central in all aspects of important decision making, it would behoove the American people to know what the central messages and the main conceptual precepts of this document are. This paper will consider three foundational principles of natural rights, classical republicanism, and popular sovereignty, explaining what each of them mean, and how they continue to shape what America is as a country to this day.

The idea of natural rights is often accredited to the English seventeenth-century philosopher John Locke.

In his work, Two Treatises on Government he said that the basic rights of Life, Health, Liberty, and Possessions should not be taken away from anyone (Locke, 1821). Though the Constitution does not include expressions such as inalienable or natural rights, it is believed that when writing the Bill of Rights, the authors of the Constitution were influenced by Locke’s ideas. The Bill of Rights details the basic rights of Americans, and the majority of those listed can be traced back in some way to John Locke’s philosophy (Costly, n.d.). For example, in the Bill of Rights, it states that American citizens’ life, liberty, and property cannot be taken away from them without due process of law (U.S. Const. amend. V). Although the terminology is not exact, the Framers of the Constitution were clearly influenced by Locke’s ideas, as the basic idea of which rights need to be protected is maintained. In both, the purpose is to guarantee the essential rights that all people have to general well being (whether it be life, liberty, health, possessions, e.t.c.). These were put in place to protect the general public from a leader’s abuse. Because of this amendment in the Constitution, the American people have less of a reason to fear someone killing them for no good reason, or taking the things that they work hard

for.
In addition to natural rights, classical republicanism was a crucial aspect that was taken into consideration when forming the Constitution. Classical republicanism is the idea that everyone should work to benefit the common welfare, instead of focussing on only selfish personal interests. This idea was popularized from Americans looking back and gaining inspiration from Rome, as they were a shining example of a successfully functioning republic. The way the Framers of the Constitution saw it, the government could be run in the best way if individual rights were preserved, but everyone also put the welfare of the country as a priority (Article1, n.d.). These ideas initially seem to conflict, but the authors of the Constitution realized that for government to work, they needed to combine aspects of natural rights with classical republicanism. Individual rights are important, but sometimes need to be sacrificed for the good of the common man (Smith, n.d.).
Finally, popular sovereignty is the concept that the power of the government is derived from the consent of the governed.

Popular sovereignty is the first of seven principles in the Constitution, suggesting that this was prioritized, at least to some degree, in eyes of the Framers. Having just escaped from the rule of Great Britain, the American people were wary of slipping right back under the thumb of another leader that just wanted power and authority. They didn’t want someone in charge that didn’t have their best interest at heart. Consequently, they included the idea of popular sovereignty in the Constitution. The idea of popular sovereignty is reflected in the process required to amend the Constitution. Congress must have a 2/3 agreement and the states must be 3/4 in agreement (U.S. Const. art. V.). In this instance, it is plain to see that changing the government is dependent largely on the people therein. If the majority of the people are not in agreement, the government can’t change, reinforcing the idea that the power of the government is in the hands of the

people.
Each of these three principles are building blocks of America as we know it today. The American people are adamant on ensuring that their natural rights are not being infringed upon. In the past few months, and in much more frequent intervals than the past, protests have been breaking out everywhere. Take for instance Colin Kaepernick claiming that he has the right to kneel during the national anthem. One side of the argument states that Kaepernick can do as he pleases; he is expressing his natural rights by taking a knee. The opposing side argues that he is disrespecting those who fought for him to have his rights in the first place. It’s a massive debacle, all centered around the idea of natural rights, and how they should be interpreted today. An example of classical republicanism influencing life in America in recent history is the Patriot Act. Because of the threat of terrorism, American citizens willingly gave up some of their natural rights, to some degree, in order to benefit the good of the nation as a whole. Popular sovereignty also remains on the forefront of everyday American life. A fair example of this would be voting. People can vote, or even propose laws and motions to see the changes they want in their community. The power of the government still comes from the people, even today.
To conclude, natural rights, classical republicanism and popular sovereignty were very important to the Framers of the Constitution. They wanted to make sure that the American people could live long, happy lives, and that America would become a powerful and successful nation. Up until the present day, the United States government strives to secure these principles in running the country. Although written over two hundred years ago, the ground-breaking document that is the Constitution continues to shape the way American citizens live their lives everyday.