Paul B. Skousen - How to Read the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence: A Simple Guide to Understanding the United States Constitution

I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society, but the people themselves: and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is, not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.

PREFACE

he Constitution is not difficult to read when you know what to look for. Knowing the purpose and intent of each Article, and using a glossary to clarify its words and terms, makes understanding come faster.

The Declaration of Independence may seem abstract and difficult at first, but gently taking it apart to look at its details shows it to be one of the most powerful and insightful political statements in history.

Putting Americas two founding documents together makes their 225-year-old message shine as modern, as important, as revealing, and as relevant today as they were when they were first written more than two centuries ago.

This guide is for anyone who wants to know the essence of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

It is for the newly arrived immigrants to the United States who wonder about the grand vista of their new liberties.

It is for the student just learning about Americas founding documents for the first time.

It is for the politician who needs a quick refresher on the powers and limitations of government.

It is for the individual trying to understand how to protect the human rights of people around the world.

It is for those who want to become familiar with the Constitution and Declaration but dont have the necessary time to do more than just read them.

Learning to better understand these two documents will recast them from antiquated reflections of an earlier time into brilliant guideposts that point the way through the highs and the lows, the successes and losses, the prosperity and the challenges of managing the most amazing freedom formula ever invented.

PART I

START AT
THE BEGINNING

WHY READ THE CONSTITUTION?

ow do millions of people live together without tearing each other apart to acquire food, shelter and power? Fighting for survival has been a terrible problem that started with the beginning of human history. It took us thousands of years to finally find a peaceful solution, and when we did, an astonishing thing happened. A totally new kind of nation arose that changed the course of history. The fighting stopped, order was restored, and the people started living together in peace and prosperity. What changed?

The U.S. Constitution was that change. It was the brilliant, ingenious and elegant solution that humanity had been missing. It pointed the human race toward self-government as the best solution to preserve human rights and to encourage inventive exploration.

With just 4,379 words, the men who framed the Constitution helped We the People form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, promote our general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and to our posterity.

For those who were there, this new way to govern came as nothing short of an amazing miracle.

By the People and For the People

The Framers wrote the Constitution so it was easy to read, easy to understand and easy to apply. They reasoned that if the law was basic and simple the people could keep track of the power they gave to their leaders and watch for abuses.

The final version of the Constitution was completed on September 17, 1787. It gave a clean statement of purposes with a well-engineered plan to achieve them. It is not complicated. It has order, structure, and simple principles that everyone can understand. It is a practical guide that helps us navigate through this nations most perplexing problems.

The Promise

The Constitution requires two actions from the citizens it protects: First, honest obedience to its rules and framework; and second, reading it often.

Reading the Constitution produces an amazing outcome. Americans discover for themselves the limits that are placed on their leaders. With such knowledge they are better able to compel over-zealous politicians into restraint and fairness so their natural rights are safe from abuse and destruction.

We read the Constitution, therefore, to stay free.

WHAT DOES IT DO?

he Constitution created three branches of government to run the country. Each branch has specific assignments which the other branches are forbidden to touch. All their duties are spelled out in writing so that everyone knows what the branches must do, what they may do, and what they cant do. If there is a job to be done and its not on anyones official list, that job falls to the individual states or to the people themselves.