America was not created because everyone agreed.
America was created because people were willing to disagree with those in power.
The American Revolution was, at its core, an act of dissent. The colonists challenged the authority of the British Crown because they believed government had violated rights that belonged to them—not rights that a king had generously decided to give them.
That principle is at the heart of the American experiment.
Our rights do not come from government. Government exists to protect the rights of the people.
That distinction is more important today than ever.
America Was Built by People Who Said “No”
The founders did not ask King George III for permission to be free.
They protested.
They petitioned.
They organized.
They published criticism.
They resisted government policies they believed violated their rights.
And eventually, they declared independence.
The Declaration of Independence expressed the revolutionary idea that people possess inherent rights and that legitimate government derives its powers from the consent of the governed.
In other words, America was born from dissent against government authority that had exceeded what the colonists believed was legitimate.
Dissent is not un-American. Dissent helped create America.
The First Amendment Protects the Dissenter
That history is one reason the First Amendment is so important.
The First Amendment begins:
“Congress shall make no law…”
Those words establish a limitation on government.
The First Amendment protects freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to peacefully assemble, and the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Notice something important about these rights.
The First Amendment does not say:
“The government grants you permission to speak.”
It says Congress shall make no law abridging these freedoms.
That is a fundamental difference.
The government is not the source of our liberty.
Government is restricted from violating it.
Rights Do Not Belong to Government
If government creates our rights, then government can decide when those rights no longer apply.
That would make liberty nothing more than a government-issued permission slip.
But that is not the American understanding of individual liberty.
The Ninth Amendment reminds us that the listing of certain rights in the Constitution does not mean other rights retained by the people disappear.
The Tenth Amendment reinforces the principle that powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution are reserved to the states or the people.
These provisions reflect a broader constitutional principle:
The federal government does not possess unlimited authority.
The government has powers.
The people have rights.
Those are not the same thing.
The Constitution Was Written to Restrain Government
The Constitution created a federal government, but it also limited that government’s power.
It established separate branches.
It divided authority.
It created checks and balances.
It enumerated federal powers.
And through the Bill of Rights, it placed additional restrictions on government.
This was not accidental.
The founders understood that concentrated government power could threaten liberty.
They had experienced it themselves.
The solution was not to eliminate government.
The solution was to establish a government powerful enough to perform its legitimate functions while constrained enough that it could not simply dictate the terms of our liberty.
That is constitutional government.
Dissent Is a Check on Power
Dissent is sometimes treated as a problem.
It isn’t.
Dissent is a safeguard.
A citizen who criticizes the president is not attacking America.
A citizen who protests government policy is not necessarily an enemy of the country.
A journalist investigating government misconduct is not committing an act of disloyalty simply because officials dislike the reporting.
A citizen petitioning Congress to change a law is participating in self-government.
And someone who peacefully disagrees with the majority is exercising one of the freedoms that makes America different from authoritarian governments.
We should remember:
The government does not get to decide whether our dissent is patriotic.
The First Amendment protects the individual’s ability to challenge those who hold power.
You Don’t Have to Agree With Someone to Defend Their Rights
This is where constitutional liberty gets difficult.
It is easy to defend free speech when we agree with the speaker.
It is much harder when we despise the message.
But if we only defend the First Amendment when we like what someone is saying, we are not really defending free speech.
We are defending our own opinions.
The Constitution requires something more difficult.
It requires us to recognize that liberty must belong to everyone.
Your neighbor does not need to agree with you.
Your political opponent does not need to agree with you.
The person protesting a policy you support does not need to agree with you.
They still possess rights.
And so do you.
That is what makes individual liberty different from political power.
Government Works for the People
The Constitution begins with three words that should never be forgotten:
“We the People.”
Not “We the Government.”
Not “We the President.”
Not “We the Congress.”
We the People.
Government is created by the people and derives its legitimate authority from the people.
Elected officials are representatives—not rulers.
Public office is not a license to dictate what Americans may believe, say, worship, publish, or peacefully protest.
The people are not subjects of government.
Government is accountable to the people.
This Is What C Monday For Liberty Stands For
This is why I believe defending the Constitution must come before defending a political party.
Republicans can be wrong.
Democrats can be wrong.
Independents can be wrong.
Presidents can be wrong.
Congress can be wrong.
And yes—even the majority can be wrong.
The Constitution exists in part because the founders understood that political power cannot be trusted simply because we currently like the people who possess it.
The standard must be the Constitution.
Not the party.
Not the politician.
Not the personality.
The Constitution.
That means defending individual liberty even when it is politically inconvenient.
It means defending free speech even when we dislike the speaker.
It means protecting the right to peacefully assemble even when we disagree with the protest.
It means protecting religious liberty even when we disagree with someone’s beliefs.
It means recognizing that government has limits—and those limits matter.
Liberty Requires the Courage to Dissent
America’s founders were willing to dissent against the most powerful government of their time.
We should never forget that.
The right to question government is not a privilege granted to us by politicians.
The right to criticize government is not dependent upon which political party controls Washington.
The right to peacefully protest is not something government can give and take away at will.
These liberties are fundamental to the American constitutional system.
And when government exceeds its authority, Americans must remain free to say:
No.
That is not rebellion against America.
That is part of what America was founded upon.
I believe our government should be reminded of something that should never have been forgotten:
Government exists to serve the people—not rule them.
Our rights do not come from Washington.
Our Constitution does not give government unlimited authority over our lives.
And our liberty should never depend upon who happens to occupy the White House.
Defend the Constitution.
Defend individual liberty.
Limit government power.
Protect the rights of the people.
Because liberty isn’t something government gives us.
Liberty is something government is constitutionally obligated to respect.
Liberty for All.
Defending the Constitution. Defending Your Liberty.