Is the U.S. government a limited government?
Limited Government in America
Critical Analysis
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:
Limited government is a political system where the government is prohibited from certain activities, and its power is bound by a written constitution that guarantees legal rights to individuals. Which of the items illustrated in the visual above limit the power of the American government?
American colonists revolted against the British King who they claimed was tyrannical and needed to be limited in his power. Identify three ways the former colonists baked the ideas of limited government into the system of government they created.
The cornerstone of a limited government is a written constitution which both lists the powers of the government and the rights of individuals. The visual above lists 4 cornerstones of freedom. In the American system, where are those 4 cornerstones of freedom specifically written?
The Framers built a system with three branches of government instead of just one. Explain how this separation of powers limits government?
Limited government can be traced back to the Magna Carta (1215) when the British monarch, King John, became subject to the rule of law - a restriction of the arbitrary exercise of power by well-defined and established laws. In other words, the King could no longer do whatever he wanted to do whenever he wanted to do it. What are three ways the American political system specifically limits the arbitrary exercise of power by the American President.
There are many benefits of limited government: it protects individual liberty, prevents arbitrary, capricious (good word!), tyrannical rule, it limits corruption, and distributes power widely. Make a claim about which of all the benefits of limited government is the greatest.
Some Americans claim the Trump presidency was tyrannical. Others claim the Biden presidency is tyrannical. Based on what you know about either of these recent presidential administrations, explain whether the U.S. system of limited government was successful in restraining presidential tyranny.
Identify a country today that does not have limited government and describe how that system allows its leader arbitrary and capricious power.
The visual above gives examples of the power of the people in 1932, 1963, 1995, 2011, and 2017. Which of the 4 cornerstones of freedom also listed in the visual allowed the people to express their power?
In the July 2024 ruling in Trump v. United States, the Supreme Court expanded presidential power. Chief Justice Roberts, writing for the Court majority, concluded that a former President has some immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts during his tenure in office. This immunity stems primarily from constitutional separation of powers principles and precedents recognizing similar immunities in civil contexts. The President has absolute immunity from prosecution for actions taken pursuant to his exclusive constitutional powers, such as pardoning offenses or removing executive officers. This absolute immunity exists because Congress cannot criminalize, and courts cannot review, the President’s exercise of these core constitutional authorities. Explain how this ruling contrasts with the ideas of limited government and rule of law.
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
Contact your U.S. Representative and propose a method by which they could further limit government.
Get Creative
Imagine you were elected president and possessed absolute immunity from the law. What would be the first three things you would do?
Learning Extension
Read The Bill of Rights to see limited government in action.