How does the constitution secure your liberty?

Answer 1

The preamble to the U.S. Constitution clearly endeavors to establish the tone and purpose of the Constitution through it's introduction, while echoing the sentiment of the Declaration of Independence where liberty was unquestionably stated to be an "unalienable right of man" (however, liberty is not specifically granted as a constitutional right).

The single sentence, 52 word preamble to the U.S. Constitution reads:

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The primary method by which the Constitution protects liberty is by establishing a system of limited government. The Congress does not have general or police powers. Instead, the Congress has specific areas in which they are allowed to legislate. The Federalists argued that a Bill of Rights was superfluous because there was no authority for the federal government to, e.g., restrict the freedom of speech.

However, to secure adoption of the Constitution, the Federalists finally agreed to adopt a Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights was adopted to protect individual liberty. Liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights include: freedom of speech, of the press, of religion; the right to keep and bear arms; the right to be free of unreasonable searches and seizures; and numerous rights related to the right to and conducting of trials. As time has passed, the Bill of Rights has become the bulwark of liberty in the United States.