Constitutions and laws of the U.S. grant We the People powers to care for themselves and manage the U.S. Government.  

Preamble of the U.S. Constitution
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

During the 1770s, citizens of the U.S. designed the government to include elected representatives acting collectively on behalf of the people.  We the People agreed with the concept where public servants have limited powers and must provide services to the citizenry as it is written in constitutions, laws and ethics.  That agreement is now referred to as “Consent of the Governed” which the political force of Popular Sovereignty stems from, acting as the lifeblood of the United State of America’s system of government, capped by the U.S. Constitution.

U.S. citizens are acknowledged Constitutionally as the Nations’ only source of power and were assigned freedom of speech to prevent censorship, punishment or dismissal of the public voice required for a constitutional republic with elected representatives. Powers assigned to the public and members of government differ, yet originate from the same documents: Constitutions, Federal Codes, State Laws, Ethics and Regulations that are all available for public review. 

At the 1863 Gettysburg Address, founder Abraham Lincoln stated, “Of the people, by the people, for the people”, as an admission the U.S. Government is within hands of U.S. citizens, as ratified nearly one-hundred years earlier.  We the People are assigned a duty to manage government and public services it provides without creating deprivation of rights or freedom.

The 1st Amendment  –  Freedom of Speech
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Constitutions and laws within the U.S. limit capacities and powers of public servants by social, ethical, and practical realities that extend beyond codified laws comprising the “rule of law”.  Power beheld by positions in government are limited while power of U.S. residents is not, unless self-removed by criminal activity.  The 10th Amendment limits federal power to protect state sovereignty and prevent an overly strong central government.  

The 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
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.

Constitutions and laws assign standards for all members of government that each position holder must provide to prevent being held accountable by other members of government or citizens of the U.S.

Charters of Freedom  -Founding Documents

Declaration of Independence  -Ratified July 4th 1776
The means for American colonies breaking free from British laws involved leaders of citizens forming Charters of Freedom establishing U.S. States as a republic; a self-governed independent nation.

Articles of Confederation  1781–1789
The Articles of Confederation served as the United States’ first constitution, creating a loose “league of friendship” among sovereign states to coordinate the Revolutionary War. It established a weak central government with a single-chamber Congress, lacking the power to tax, regulate commerce, or enforce laws, which directly led to its replacement by the U.S. Constitution. 

The U.S. Constitution  -September 17th of 1787
Describes a new government of representatives, approved by citizenry, who uphold a standard of living determined by the general public.

Bill of Rights  -Ratified December 15, 1791
Guaranteed fundamental individual rights and civil liberties, limiting power of the federal government.  Defines citizens’ freedoms in relation to the government by stating specific guarantees of personal freedoms.