Feb
07
2012
U.S. Constitution 101
For those of us who are citizens of the United States, it would be wise to learn more about our founding documents which were designed to guide our country. The Apostle Paul could say on the one hand, “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20), but he could appeal to his citizenship and the laws designed to protect his right, asking the centurion, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” (Acts 22:25).
I suspect like many readers, my formal education skimmed lightly over the actual content of the Constitution, focusing only on the process and the key players. The result is that we have to play catch-up.
Here are a few resources to consider.
You catch watch below four half-hour lectures from Dr. Larry Arnn, president of Hillsdale College, introducing some key points about the Constitution:
1. The Declaration and the Constitution (study guide)
Dr. Arnn argues that the American republic’s meaning and proper method of operation is found in two documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He introduces the two main principles of the Declaration-Nature and Equality-and explains how they are key to understanding the arrangements of government found in the Constitution.
2. The Constitution: Representative Government (study guide)
Dr. Arnn begins to outline the key arrangements of the Constitution. The topic of this lecture is the principle of Representative Government, which he argues is the most fundamental principle of the Constitution.
3. The Constitution: Separation of Powers and Limited Government (study guide)
Dr. Arnn continues his outline of the key arrangements of the Constitution. He discusses the principles of Separation of Powers and Limited Government, and how they relate to Representation and the ideas of Nature and Equality in the Declaration.
4. Bureaucratic Versus Constitutional Government (study guide)
Dr. Arnn draws a contrast between centralized, bureaucratic rule and constitutional government.
If you want to take this to the next level, you can register for a free online, ten-week class featuring the faculty at Hillsdale expanding upon this introduction. This is essentially equivalent to the undergraduate Hillsdale course on the Constitution.
You can also purchase the course book, written by the Hillsdale politics faculty: The U.S. Constitution: A Reader, featuring 113 primary source documents.
Finally, you could pick up The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, a reference book that provides a clause-by-clause analysis of the Constitution, each amendment and relevant court case, and the documents that serve as the foundation of the Constitution.