28 PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNMENT

Gleaned from the writings of the founding fathers
Quoted from The Majesty of God’s Law
by W. Cleon Skousen

1. The only basis for sound government is Natural Law
2. A free people cannot survive under a republican constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong
3. The most promising method of securing a virtuous people is to elect virtuous leaders
4. Without religion the government of a free people cannot be maintained
5. All things were created by God, therefore upon him all mankind are equally dependent and to him they are equally responsible
6. All mankind were created equal
7. The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things
8. Mankind are endowed by God with certain unalienable rights
9. To protect human rights, God has revealed a code of divine law
10. The God-given right to govern is vested in the sovereign authority of the whole people
11. The majority of the people may alter or abolish a government which has become tyrannical
12. The United States of America shall be a republic
13. A constitution should protect the people from the frailties of their rulers
14. Life and liberty are secure only so long as the rights of property are secure
15. The highest level of prosperity occurs when there is a free market economy and a minimum of government regulations
16. The government should be separated into three branches
17. A system of checks and balances should be adopted to prevent the abuse of power by the different branches of government
18. The unalienable rights of the people are most likely to be preserved if the principles of government are set forth in a written constitution
19. Only limited and carefully defined powers should be delegated to government, all others being retained by the people
20. Efficiency and dispatch require that the government operate according to the will of the majority, but constitutional provisions must be made to protect the rights of the minority
21. Strong local government is the keystone to preserving human freedom
22. A free people should be governed by law and not by the whims of men
23. A free society cannot survive as a republic without a broad program of general education
24. A free people will not survive unless they stay strong
25. Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations-entangling alliances with none
26. The core unit which determines the strength of any society is the family; therefore the government should foster and protect its integrity
27. The burden of debt is as destructive to human freedom as subjugation by conquest
28. The United States has a manifest destiny to eventually become a glorious example of God’s law under a restored constitution that will inspire the entire human race