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The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States (The Pocket Constitution)
Can the government do that? Check the Constitution!
To encourage people everywhere to better understand and appreciate the principles of government that are set forth in America's founding documents, the Cato Institute has produced this website and published highly popular print editions of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.
As amended over the years, the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, the nation's fundamental law. But the broad language of the Constitution is illuminated by the principles set forth in the Declaration. Indeed, for more than two centuries the ringing phrases of the Declaration have inspired countless millions around the world. When it came time to draft a new constitution, the Founders drew upon the principles they had outlined in the Declaration.
The Declaration and the Constitution, together, address mankind's most basic political questions. Resting on a firm moral foundation, they articulate the first principles of political organization. Thus, they were meant to serve not merely the 18th century but generations to come, which would face those same basic questions, whatever their particular circumstances, whatever their state of material progress. Because the principles the Founders articulated transcend both time and technology, they will serve us well as we move through the 21st century, if only we understand them correctly and apply them well.
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Listen to a special series of radio ads on the Constitution that the Cato Institute is airing on several radio stations in the Washington D.C. area. Ads will be added to this site as they air on the stations.
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And now from the Cato Institute — the Cato Constitution Minute.
The principles set forth in the U.S. Constitution form the foundation of our country … and the same principles form the foundation of the Cato Institute.
These Cato Constitution Minutes in the weeks ahead are presented with our conviction that the best way to address America's problems, and to liberate our future, is to educate, understand, and teach Americans about the Constitution.
The Cato Constitution Minute series begins with America's birth certificate — the Declaration of Independence.
Created on July 4th 1776, 11 years before the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence severed American ties to Britain and details the principles that guided the creation of the Constitution. Our Founders went on to declare our national faith in all Men being born free, endowed with rights to life and liberty.
Our Declaration declares that no one, including government, gives us those rights. We are born with them. They cannot be taken away.
On the contrary, we the people give government its powers for the strictly limited purpose of securing those rights.
Only by recognizing this every day will the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution remain in the hearts and minds of the American people, and as the foundation of our future together.
To learn more, visit the Cato Institute online at Cato.org.
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Issues
Since it was ratified in 1788, the United States Constitution has served as the supreme law of the United States of America. It defines the system of limited government set forth by the Founders to protect the rights and freedoms with which all people are endowed by their Creator. As an institution dedicated to the preservation of these freedoms, the Cato Institute has studied and written extensively on the rights enshrined in the Constitution. You can read about the some of the many areas where the Constitution protects the rights of Americans in the research areas listed below:
Featured Scholars
Books
How Progressives Rewrote The Constitution
How Progressivism and the New Deal era still shape the Supreme Court's decisions.
Cornerstone of Liberty: Property Rights in 21st Century America
Real-life stories and solid legal analysis combine to show why property rights are the "cornerstone of liberty," how they are protected in the U.S. Constitution, and how the Supreme Court's Kelo v. New London case has impacted them.
The Cult of the Presidency: America's Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power
Examines how Americans have expanded presidential power over recent decades by expecting solutions for all national problems, and concludes by calling for the president's role to return to its properly defined constitutional limits.
The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom
A non-lawyer's guide to the worst Supreme Court decisions of the modern era.
[Additional Cato products relating to the Constitution ]
The Right to Earn a Living: Economic Freedom and the Law
Explores the legal and constitutional history of the right to earn a living without unreasonable government interference, and reveals the many ways in which that right is threatened today.
David's Hammer: The Case for an Activist Judiciary
An active judiciary is a key element in our government that ensures that limits are placed on executive and legislative action, constitutional rights are protected, and unelected bureaucrats are kept in check.
Gun Control On Trial: Inside the Supreme Court Battle over the Second Amendment
With exclusive behind-the-scenes access, the book delves into the monumental Heller casen — where the Supreme Court ruled that individual citizens have the constitutional right to possess guns — to provide a compelling look at the inside stories of the forces that fought for and against the Second Amendment.
Cato Handbook For Policymakers, 7th Ed.
Offers policy recommendations from Cato Institute experts on every major policy issue. Providing both in-depth analysis and concrete recommendations, the Handbook is an invaluable resource for policymakers and anyone else interested in securing liberty through limited government.
Cato Supreme Court Review: 2009-2010
Published every September, the Cato Supreme Court Review analyzes key cases from the Court's most recent term.
Links of Interest
"The Founders' Constitution," Liberty Fund (Indianapolis, IN)
Arguably the most important of all resources on the principles of the Framers of the American republic. Includes extracts from the leading works of political theory, history, law, and constitutional argument on which the Framers and their contemporaries drew and which they themselves produced.
"The Charters of Freedom," National Archives (Washington, DC)
The official National Archives website.
"American Treasures," Library of Congress (Washington, DC)
Holograph images of Thomas Jefferson's "Original Rough Draught of the Declaration of Independence," with minor emendations by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, June 1776.
"Interactive Constitution," National Constitution Center (Philadelphia, PA)
A hypertext edition of the Constitution based on Linda Monk's The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution (Hyperion, 2003).
"Interpreting the Declaration of Independence by Translation," George Mason University (Fairfax, VA)
Translations of the Declaration of Independence in Italian, Japanese, and other languages.
"Political Database of the Americas," Georgetown University (Washington, DC)
A non-governmental Internet-based project that provides reference materials, primary documents, comparative studies, and statistical data for countries in the Western Hemisphere.
About Cato * Supporting Our Work
The Cato Institute is a non-profit public policy research foundation headquartered in Washington, D.C. and is America's leading voice for individual liberty, free markets, limited government and peace. To maintain its independence, the Cato Institute accepts no government funding, and depends solely on tax-deductible contributions from Sponsors who share our commitment to a free and prosperous society.
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