Our Constitution-The Supreme Law of the Land![]()
![]()
A cornerstone is the first stone laid in a structure. It is the reference stone by which all other stones in that building are laid. It is only one stone of a large structure but it is the most important because it carries the weight of the structure. The U.S. Constitution combined with the Declaration of Independence serve as our cornerstone of our American government.![]()
![]()
Here are some cornerstone facts about our Supreme Law of the Land:![]()
![]()
The Constitution limits and defines the federal government’s powers so we do not come under tyranny from any one group or individual. Our Founders did not want us to be subject to a tyrant. We are subject to the Constitution. We are not subjects of a monarchy or dictatorship. We are citizens.![]()
![]()
Also, the Constitution does NOT define our rights, nor does it grant us our rights. The Constitution is based on the fact that we are made in the image and likeness of God. Our unalienable rights come from God. They are not granted to us by government. Therefore, government is obligated to protect our God-given rights. If We the People let this change, we may still be a country, but not the United States of America as we know it.![]()
![]()
The Constitution limits and clearly defines the federal government’s powers. Any additional powers are given to either the states or to We the People. The individual states are also required by the Constitution to protect our God-given rights. ![]()
![]()
Accordingly, the Constitution’s goal is NOT to make every state the same. We live on different terrains, with different natural resources and varying needs that are best served locally. The Constitution addresses the areas that keep the unity and general welfare of the individual 50 states. ![]()
![]()
“You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.” - James Madison, Founding Father, Fourth U.S. President, and The Father of the U.S. Constitution.![]()
![]()
The United States of America is the first nation to design such a government where both the government and the governed control themselves. It is called a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy.![]()
![]()
Our Constitution calls for We the People to choose our leaders from among us through an elections process that is clearly defined. ![]()
![]()
All appropriations of money go through the House of Representatives, the branch of government closest to We the People. Therefore, We the People have a say in expenditures and taxes through the representatives we elect.![]()
![]()
Our Founders knew that power corrupts, so they split the power up between three branches of government: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. ![]()
Legislative Branch- makes the law.![]()
Executive Branch- enforces the law.![]()
Judicial Branch- discovers and applies the law according to the Constitution. Only one branch makes law. Only one branch enforces the law. Only one branch discovers and applies the law.![]()
![]()
Can you think of any other Constitutional “cornerstone” facts that we need to keep top of mind? ![]()
![]()
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship.🇺🇸![]()
![]()
Please do not name political figures or political parties in the comments. Such comments only lead to an emotionally charged, negative argument that is not educational, and will be hidden or deleted. No additional pictures or links.
Are you tired of arguing? Have you lost friends and relatives over your opinions? ![]()
Let me ask you: What's the difference between a debate question and a policy question? Not knowing the answer separates the closest of friends these days in our country. We must understand the difference to lay the groundwork for a civil conversation about our government. Let's think this through.![]()
![]()
First, know or be willing to look up information in the Constitution itself. Many people may argue with you, but they're claiming the viewpoint of the politician, press, or professor. They actually don't know what the document says! You are automatically one up if you know even a small amount about our founding documents! I can help with that as we study together here on the Common Sense Civics and Citizenship page.![]()
![]()
Next, learn this fact like the back of your hand: If the Constitution doesn't give the federal government the power to do something, it can't be done. As I tell my students, "If the Constitution doesn't say it, the government can't do it." ![]()
![]()
We act like the government is our school principal, and we are children who must comply. Our Founders set it up the other way around. We the People are the principals, and the government must do as the Constitution (the Supreme LAW of the land) says. If not, we must hold them to account. If we don't, no one else will. ![]()
![]()
We drift along, parroting what others feel and say. Some of you may remember the old workbook "Think and Do." I had to read those three words daily in my formative years before I could open the book and do the work. The curriculum never asked me to "Feel and Repeat."![]()
![]()
So it is with the Constitution. The debate question in a conversation is this: CAN the government do it? For example, can we expand the Supreme Court? The Constitution establishes the Supreme Court in Article III but leaves the details to Congress.![]()
![]()
The next question in a debate is to ask the policy question: SHOULD the government do this? In our example, we would examine if it is wise to expand the Supreme Court. What are the pros and cons? Has it ever been proposed before? (Yes, it has) Why or why not is this idea beneficial to ALL of the citizenry, not just particular groups?![]()
![]()
To debate the constitutionality of an issue, ask: Can government do this or that according to the limited and defined powers listed in the Constitution? If the answer is no, it is not constitutional. The debate is over. If the answer is that it is allowable under the Founders' original intent (without some-out elastic meaning), then follow up with the policy question: Should the government do it? We think and do, not feel and repeat. (In other words, don't argue with the wind. The conversation is meaningless and exhausting).![]()
![]()
Debate question: Can the government do this (according to our Constitution)?![]()
Policy question: Should the government do this?![]()
![]()
We have one more responsibility: Defend the Constitution as the Supreme Law of the Land. We are a government of laws, not feelings. If we don't defend the law aspect (even if we don't always agree), we will be swept away into living under someone else's dominance. We may have their approval, but we will lose the freedom that is our God-given right.![]()
![]()
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship.🇺🇸![]()
![]()
Important: Please do not name political figures or parties in the comments. Such comments only lead to an emotionally charged, negative argument that is not educational. No additional pictures or links.
Constitution Day, 2022![]()
Do you think that the Constitution applies to all times in the life of American history? Or, should its meaning deviate from the original intent of the Founders and "live and breathe" with changing times in history?![]()
![]()
My gut reaction is to recognize that professors who espouse this idea are academically elite. Are we influenced by their reasoning simply because they are highly educated? The Constitution was written for We the People, not We, the Intelligentsia. The Founders were highly gifted intellectually (among other ways). They crafted a document meant to serve as the organic law of the land. The Founders even provided a way to amend the Constitution, should it be necessary (see Article V).![]()
![]()
If the Constitution was meant to change with the times, why did the Founders include their posterity (that is, you and me) in the Preamble? Why would We the People ordain and establish THIS Constitution for the United States of America? Their own words were definitive. Their process for amending was defined:![]()
![]()
"(We the People) …secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."![]()
![]()
What do you think? Should the Constitution be interpreted with original intent? Or should it be a document that changes with the times?![]()
![]()
Happy U.S. Constitution Day!![]()
![]()
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship.🇺🇸![]()
![]()
Let's have a respectful, courteous discussion that is not about parties, personalities, or factions. Such comments only lead to an emotionally charged argument that is not educational. Let's discuss the principles of our "Supreme Law of the Land" in honor of Constitution Day (September 17). No additional pictures or links, please.
American citizens generally like order, not confusion. We appreciate beauty, aspire to be an exceptional country, and want to see respect given to whom it is due. We don’t see these attributes in the news. It’s like we are being shielded from the good. The world appears lop-sided, and we are bystanders to the fray.![]()
![]()
So, I heard a media clip the other day of a man saying he didn’t understand why Americans would pay so much attention to the royals. He ruminated, “Why is the news media giving the royal funeral so much attention?” And then he speculated, “Perhaps Americans secretly long to return to a monarchy” (or words to that effect). Um, no.![]()
![]()
Most of America, I think, wants to be a country that respects Creator and country, defends the cause of right, appreciates beauty, and commemorates our 246-year history unrevised and truthfully told by words of the people who lived it. We want to give respect and honor to whom it is due. That is why we get choked up at a military ceremony, visit places of American history, or fly our flags.![]()
![]()
Could this be why Americans are tuning in to the funeral events for Queen Elizabeth II? Yes, I have read the condemning reports about the monarchy. I’m not blind, and neither are you. We don’t want a return to a monarchy or live under an oligarchy or any government that places any human being in control over us. As Founding Father John Adams said, ”[We are a] Government of Laws, Not Men.” ![]()
![]()
We miss being united. We miss certain traditions. We miss dignity and order. We miss seeing leaders who pass on American values to children. That’s probably why the United Kingdom is getting some of our attention this week. ![]()
![]()
We remember our American values and traditions, and we miss them- and each other.![]()
![]()
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship.🇺🇸![]()
![]()
Please refrain from mentioning political figures and political parties. This only leads to an emotionally charged argument that is not educational. No additional pictures or links.
