Limited government facts for kids

In political philosophy, limited government is a big idea where the government has only certain powers. It means the government's power is restricted, not endless. This is a very important concept in the history of liberalism, which is a way of thinking about freedom and equal rights.

How Constitutions Limit Government Power

Limited government is closely connected to constitutions. A constitution is like a rulebook for a country. The United States Constitution (from 1789) and the French Constitution of 1793 both tried to make sure the government had limited power. They did this in different ways.

The U.S. Constitution and Separating Powers

The U.S. Constitution created a limited government by "separating powers." This means power is divided in two main ways:

• Horizontal Separation: Power is split among different parts of the government. These are the three main branches of government:

* The legislature (Congress), which makes laws. * The executive (the President), which carries out laws. * The judiciary (courts), which interprets laws. Each branch has ways to check, or limit, the power of the others. This stops any one branch from becoming too strong.

• Vertical Separation: Power is also divided between different levels of government. This is called federalism. It means power is shared between the national government and the state governments. This way, power isn't all in one place.

James Madison, one of the people who helped write the U.S. Constitution, said that the goal was to create a government that could control itself and also be controlled by the people. He wrote that dividing powers helps prevent one part of the government from taking over.

The French Constitution's Approach

The 1793 French Constitution had a different idea. It believed that the best way to limit government was through "legislative supremacy." This meant the law-making body (the legislature) had the most power. It was based on the idea that people should govern themselves through a "general will," which would stop rulers from having too much power.

History of Limited Government

Important documents like the Magna Carta (from 1215 in England) and the U.S. Constitution were big steps in limiting government power. The phrase "limited government" itself was first used by King James VI and I in the late 1500s. Even earlier, the ancient Greek thinker Aristotle had ideas that were similar to limited government, especially about making sure people trusted the government and keeping things stable.

John Locke's Influence

John Locke, a famous philosopher, was very important in developing the idea of liberal government. In his book Two Treatises of Government, Locke wrote about how people might form a government. He believed that people living without a government would agree to a "social contract" to create a "commonwealth" or government.

Locke argued that the government's powers must be limited to only what the people allow. He listed four specific ways government power should be restricted:

• Rule of Law: Governments must follow clear, established laws. Everyone, rich or poor, must be equal under these laws.
• Common Good: Laws should only be made for the good of all people, not just a few.
• No Taxation Without Consent: Governments cannot collect taxes from people's property without their permission. This permission should come from the people themselves or their chosen representatives. This is the idea of no taxation without representation.
• No Delegation of Power: The part of the government that makes laws (the legislature) cannot give its law-making power to anyone else without the people's agreement.

When limited government is put into practice, it often means protecting the freedom of individuals from the government trying to control too much.

See also

• Constitutionalism
• Enumerated powers
• Natural and legal rights
• Social contract