Understanding Constitutional principles key to preserving our Republic
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By Ovide Lamontagne, published on October 1, 2025 in the Concord Monitor
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of our Nation, it is important for citizens to revisit and understand the principles upon which our Nation was founded. An educated and informed citizenry is key to preserving our Republic, ensuring it serves us as intended.
In 1776, the Founders believed that government was established by the People — the consent of the governed — because government derived its power from the People, not the King or some other earthly authority. The Declaration of Independence laid the framework for the principle that government is empowered by the People, beginning with the radical proposition that: “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Because persons are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights, the Founders asserted in the Declaration that “to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
And there you have it — the radical First Principle of our founding: government power comes from the People and the representatives they elect. No finer summary of this principle was uttered than when President John F. Kennedy declared in his 1961 inaugural address, “[T]he same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe — the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.”
From this First Principle comes the Second Principle: government is established to serve a limited purpose delegated and defined by a constitution ratified by the People through their elected representatives in the States. When the States replaced the Articles of Confederation — the first constitution of the United States — with the current Constitution, a national government with limited powers was established. The powers not delegated to the federal government were reserved to the People and the States.
The federal government was created with three co-equal branches: legislative, executive and judicial. To ensure that no one branch would become too powerful, the Founders established the separation of powers with checks and balances among the branches to keep them within their delegated authority. Diffusing government power made the Constitution a limiting document constraining government authority in order to protect the rights of the People.
New Hampshire Humanities, in conjunction with The Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership & Public Service at the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, have created an excellent opportunity for citizens to be educated and informed about the Constitution and our founding. On Oct. 9 in Concord, they will present their Annual Celebration of the Humanities with Yale Professor, Akhil Reed Amar, an expert on the Constitution, in an onstage conversation with Laura Knoy, to explore and learn about the history of the Constitution.
The Constitution is the owner’s manual for U.S. citizens. Please find opportunities to be educated about our Constitution. Preserving the Republic depends on you.
Ovide Lamontagne is a member of the Rudman Center Advisory Board and teaches Constitutional Law at St. Anselm College.
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