Sparks Commentary: Why do we have a Constitution, and how does it work?

Great Seal of the United States

As I set out to write a general post about the Constitution of my country, I have the problem of any writer who speaks to a general audience: I speak to those familiar with my culture (including many fellow Americans), and those who know it not at all (since the Internet knows no political boundaries). Even when speaking to fellow Americans, I write to fellow adults who have the power to vote, to a rising generation not yet blessed with the opportunity to participate, and perhaps even to those yet unborn, who will run the country in a distant future. I speak to those who know these things now, to those who once knew these things (but have since forgotten), and to those who never learned them at all - often because the educational system failed to teach them the things it should have; and who, through no fault of their own, have never had the opportunity to hear the message of the Constitution.

A replica of Independence Hall, which is not surrounded by
high-rise buildings (that don't belong in the period) the way the real one is today

In talking about it, I would be remiss to leave out that it is the greatest success story of the United States; and may well be the greatest secret of its more than two centuries of uninterrupted democratic success - the reason for its current greatness. I will try to be (at least somewhat) brief, that I might not burden the audience with an excess of words and analysis; but I will try to be thorough as well, that I might not leave out anything that is essential to why it has worked as well as it has.

Interior of Independence Hall

Mission of the Constitution (as stated in the Preamble)

The Constitution has a very simple mission (or rather, six missions) that it states explicitly. In the document's preamble, it says: "We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." (Source: Preamble to the Constitution) The particulars of how to accomplish this mission are largely left to the people themselves, in whose hands the ultimate power over the democracy rests. But the six-fold mission of the government is explicitly stated in one of the most stirring (and memorable) passages in the country's history.

The Constitutional Convention, 1787

Principles of separation of powers and checks & balances

The Constitution follows a principle of separation of powers; which is the idea that bad government is best prevented by keeping any one group from getting too much power. To accomplish this mission, the government's power is divided into three branches of government (the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, to be specific); which are each given one particular kind of the government's power. One (the legislative) has the power of making laws, another (the executive) has the power of enforcing laws, and the last (the judicial) has the power of judging and interpreting laws - with as little overlap between these three kinds of power as possible. The only sharing of these powers enabled is the power each branch has to stop the encroachments of the other (which necessitates a certain power over the other branches); and to keep the other branches in their proper places - a process referred to as "checks and balances."

Title page from the original book edition of the Federalist Papers

Quote from Alexander Hamilton about these principles

One Founding Father (Alexander Hamilton) described this in a notable quote from the Federalist Papers, given here: "The science of politics, however, like most other sciences, has received great improvement. The efficacy of various principles is now well understood, which were either not known at all, or imperfectly known to the ancients. The regular distribution of power into distinct departments; the introduction of legislative balances and checks; the institution of courts composed of judges holding their offices during good behavior; the representation of the people in the legislature by deputies of their own election: these are wholly new discoveries, or have made their principal progress towards perfection in modern times. They are means, and powerful means, by which the excellences of republican government may be retained and its imperfections lessened or avoided." (Source: Federalist No. 9)

These principles are from the "science of politics"

Thus the Constitution uses these principles from the "science of politics," which received their greatest improvement in the time of this country's founding.

The legislative (or "law-making") branch

"All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives."

- Article 1, Section 1 of the Constitution

The division of the legislature is one of the most important "balances" in the Constitution; because like the British ... (see more)

The executive (or "enforcing") branch

"The Executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold office during the term of four years ... "

- Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution

Unlike the Congress, the executive branch is controlled by a single individual, who is usually referred to in the masculine in the ... (see more)

The judicial (or "judging") branch

"The judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may, from time to time, ordain and establish ... "

- Article 3, Section 1 of the Constitution

The part here about "good behaviour" is effectively a lifetime appointment, since it means that the judges can ... (see more)

Closing thoughts

The Constitution is the "supreme law of the land" (which is difficult to amend) ... (see more)

Part of a series about

The Constitution