The Role of Government in a Free Society and the U.S Constitution (Essay Sample)

The Role of Government in a Free Society and the US Constitution
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The Role of Government in a Free Society and the U.S Constitution
This essay is a reflection of the spirit of the constitution of the United States of America. It serves to trace back the steps taken by the government and evaluate their conformity to the constitution's provisions as envisioned by its founders. It will discuss the original idea for the role of government in a free society, making reference to article one, section eight of the constitution. It will also establish that the United States was founded as a republic rather than a democratic country. It will further discuss the expanding size of the government and the people's desire for it to do good as the primary enabling mechanism for such expansion. 
           The original idea for the role of government is to be derived from the U.S constitution, being the document that contains and represents the spirit of the people. Therefore, the original idea is provided under article one, section eight of the constitution. This provision explicitly outlines the role of the federal government to the people. These functions include collecting taxes, paying debts, borrowing money, and providing security to the American people. In line with the functions under the above provision, one can conclude that the government is primarily tasked with providing security and an enabling economic environment. Any activity more than that would be considered a contravention ultra vires. 
However, the current government has completely departed from what America's forefathers had envisioned. While the duty to collect taxes was intended to create an enabling economic environment, the government spends over three-quarters of the collected tax on unconstitutional programs such as farm subsidies and food stamps (Williams, 1999). Instead of creating an enabling environment, the government actively participates in the country's economic activities. This creates a façade that the government is doing more for its people while, in the real sense, it is depriving them of the freedom to engage in economic activities.
           One would argue that provided the government's actions are democratic; then it matters not that it has strayed from the original idea of its role. It is, therefore, essential to establish whether the United States was founded to be a democratic country or a republic. If it were founded on democratic grounds, then the evolution of government's functions would be justifiable. Williams (1999) asks whether Americans pledge their allegiance to the nation's flag or to the democracy on which that flag stands. The patriotic answer would call for a look at America's history and particularly that of independence. 
The fight for independence was aimed at the establishment of America as a republic distinct from its colonizers. As such, Americans pledge their allegiance to the flag of their nation (Williams, 1999). It is crucial to understand what the difference between the two is. The rule of the majority achieves democracy. Such a rule gives little regard to the rights of the minority. In contrast, although made by democratically elected representatives, laws in a republic must align with the constitution's provisions, which embody the rights of the minorities. Simply put, in a republic, a rule of the majority does not impede the protection of the rights of the minority as it does in a democracy.
To put the original idea of the role of government into context, the founders of the constitution limited the functions of the federal government to restrain its subsequent growth. This is because such growth would be dangerous to the liberties of the American people (Williams, 1999). Politicians justify the explosion of the size of government by linking it to the promotion of fairness and justice (Williams, 1999). To manage expansion, which is an alternative word for 'shrinkage of people's liberties,' the government hangs on people's desire