Power Enumerated, Rights Reserved

The United States Constitution is not a grant of unlimited power—it is a deliberate restriction. It was designed not to empower rulers, but to contain them. It begins with the people, and it continues by narrowing what those in power may do, thereby preserving everything else for the people themselves.

Enumerated Powers: Government by Permission, Not Assumption

In Article I, Section 8, the Constitution lists what Congress is allowed to do. This list—called the enumerated powers—is short, specific, and intentional. Congress may coin money, regulate interstate commerce, declare war, and so on. Importantly, if a power isn’t listed, it isn’t granted. This structure reflects a radical idea: in a free republic, government may only act if the people have explicitly allowed it.

By limiting the scope of government action, the Constitution flips the usual logic of rule. Most governments presume they can do whatever they like unless forbidden. The U.S. Constitution presumes government may do nothing unless permitted. This reversal protects the people from tyranny disguised as law.

The Tenth Amendment: A Shield for Liberty

To reinforce this principle, the Tenth Amendment was added:

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

This simple sentence places a profound wall between the people and government overreach. It affirms that sovereignty does not originate in Washington—it resides in every home, every town, every citizen.

Even today, the Tenth Amendment serves as a touchstone in legal battles over federal overreach. It is not a loophole; it is a foundation.

Rights Don’t Need to Be Listed to Be Real

Some worried that by listing certain rights or powers, others might be forgotten or denied. That’s why the Ninth Amendment was added—to make it clear that the people’s rights are too numerous and sacred to be fully written down. The logic is clear: rights exist before law, and power exists only because of law.

The Constitution protects us not just by what it says, but by what it refuses to say. What it does not give, it cannot take away.

Limiting Power Is the First Duty of Justice

A free people do not ask, “What may we do?” They ask, “What may the government do?” That question changes everything. It turns power into a servant of liberty rather than its master.

This is the American model: a Constitution that governs those who govern us. A document that, by restricting government, releases the full dignity of the people.