Freedom’s Founding Documents

This is a condensed summary of the facts represented in the following documents, using my standard method:

  1. Declaration of Independence (1776)
  2. Articles of Confederation (1781)
  3. Northwest Ordinance (1787)
  4. United States Constitution (1787)
  5. Federalist Papers (1787-1788)

Why

As of 2025, we are close to 2.5 centuries of the most free, open time in written history. This is a paraphrasing of the ideas that began that set of ideas.

I have also made it my priority to address certain elements that we, looking back, can see in ways that nobody could have anticipated at the time:

  • Slavery is now formally abolished (though informally practiced through domains such as sex trafficking and tyrannically unfair contracts).
  • The legal existence of a corporation’s rights should be enumerated and clarified alongside legal persons, since a corporation is a relatively new 19th-century invention.
  • There should be a clear distinction of what a legal person is, versus what a living person is.

This is a condensation of concepts ranging downward:

  1. The given presumptions that frame how a government should be formed
  2. The scope of the government’s authority
  3. Tiny details on how a government’s scope should be expressed

This should give a summary of where we’re at, and what may need to change now that history has taught us many lessons.

Given Presumptions

It’s non-negotiable that all people are:

  • Created equal
  • Endowed by God with certain inalienable rights, including:
  • Everyone is entitled to these rights, excepting specific cases under the justice system such as criminals and minors.

Governments get their power from the consent of the governed.

  • Governments are designed to secure human rights with that power.

If a government doesn’t secure human rights, the people also have the right to change or remove that government.

  • As a logical consequence, they are entitled to start a new government.
  • Their new government should then be based on what would make them find the most safety and meaning instead.

It’s not wise to remove governments that have been around a long time over small things.

  • People are more likely to put up with uncomfortable situations they can withstand than to break from precedent.
  • Before they perform any large-scale revolution, they should consult their neighbors and local officials first to see if that will improve the situation.

However, people have a right and moral obligation to remove that government and install a new government if there’s a long history of violations by a leader who wants to have absolute power over its people.

There are various examples of government leaders who should be removed:

  • Not honoring clearly stated laws that serve the interests of the public.
  • Forbidding lawmakers from passing urgent laws, which may include requiring extra verification steps that cause extra suffering.
  • Refusing to make laws that serve large populations unless they benefit the leaders’ interests.
  • Calling leadership meetings at odd times or locations to disorient them into compliance.
  • Ending leadership meetings prematurely when they don’t serve the leaders’ interests.
  • Refusing others to be elected, which would return the power to the people, and meanwhile creating both security and corruption risks.
  • Preventing smaller subsidiary governments from running things how they wish.
  • Forbidding the free travel of people to where they wish to go.
  • Preventing the courts from acting on the laws they’re supposed to act on.
  • Made judges depend on the leadership for their livelihood.
  • Appointing new offices that serve to micromanage the people.
  • Keeps active armies without the government’s approval and in peacetime.
  • Holds the military as completely independent of the courts’ jurisdiction.
  • Holding the people to laws from different jurisdiction than where they live.
  • Requiring people to give their resources to maintain large groups of soldiers.
  • Protecting soldiers with a mock trial (kangaroo court) from the consequences of murdering any of the people.
  • Cutting off trade with other parts of the world.
  • Taxing people without their consent.
  • Removing, for most cases, trial by jury.
  • Sending people to other regions for trials over alleged crimes.
  • Establishing an alternate law system in a neighboring region, then expanding that region to institute laws that shouldn’t exist.
  • Taking away access to written laws.
  • Abolishing laws without due process.
  • Altering the core structure of government procedure.
  • Suspending portions of government and transferring power to the remainder.
  • Declaring the people of a region to be out of a government’s control, then declaring war on them.
  • Taking and destroying the people’s possessions and lives.
  • Sending large armies as a show of force to suppress dissent.
  • Requiring captured people to fight for that nation or risk being killed if they protest.
  • Provoking domestic insurrections, which can allow powerful enemies to attack and weaken a region.
  • Responding to any of the above complaints with further enforcement actions against the people.

The Government’s Scope

A government should have its own power for the following:

  • Start wars.
  • End wars.
  • Make alliances with other nations.
  • Direct the flow of business.
  • Provide shared defense against enemies.
  • Secure everyone’s freedoms.
  • Ensure everyone’s wellness.
  • Require subsidiary governments to assist each other against all attacks, which can include:
    • Religion
    • Control
    • Business

The division of authority breaks into three major domains:

  • Legislative – “legislates” laws (i.e., makes them)
  • Executive – “executes” the government’s authority, which is implied to be a governor or president
  • Judicial – “judges” the laws (i.e., interprets them)

In any proceedings, including individuals in the government, an individual’s freedom of speech will not be questioned or suppressed.

Government officials aren’t allowed to receive a salary.

  • Their terms will be limited to a certain amount of time over a larger window so they can work elsewhere to provide for themselves.

The Federal Government’s Scope

The federal government will keep a common fund for the purpose of paying for national defense.

Congress has sole authority to determine:

  • Declarations of war and peace
  • Interstate disputes
  • Regulating currency, weights, and measures
  • Regulating post offices and postage
  • Appointing military officers, including a chief commander

Congress has the right to appoint committees using delegates from each state.

  • These committees manage general affairs that apply to all states.
  • The committees’ power is acting on behalf of the states’ majority approval.

The State Governments’ Scope

When applicable, states are completely subject to the federal government.

However, states have additional scope beyond the federal government’s:

  • Absolutely everything that the larger government does not have.
  • States will never be deprived of territory for the benefit of the federal government.

Each subsidiary state has limits on their power:

  • States can’t place tariffs or import taxes that may interfere with the federal government’s impositions.
  • States can’t keep soldiers or military vehicles posted in peace time except for the congressionally-approved defense of that state.
  • States can’t enter into agreements with outside governments.
  • Unless they’re being actively invaded or have military intelligence to that end, states can’t engage in or declare war without congressional approval, and can only attack the attackers.
    • However, they can do whatever they want against pirates and terrorists.
  • Multiple states can’t enter into alliances or treaties with each other without the other states giving specific consent for it, with specific details including how long it will persist.

An individual’s rights and privileges from one state apply to the other states.

  • The only exception to this is where activities in one state infringe on another state’s legal jurisdiction.
  • Every state will act in good faith that the other states’ courts are acting fairly.
  • If the governor of a state requests a fugitive returned to them from another state, they deserve to receive them back.
  • If a state recruits a local militia, those soldiers belong to that state.

The Government’s Details

The government will have to pay back its debts.

Except for Canada, no states can be admitted without majority vote by congress.

Pretty much nothing can happen that affects all the rest of the states unless 2/3 of the states agree.

Delegates will be appointed and meet the first Monday every November annually.

  • Each state can recall or replace any of their delegates any time they want.
  • Every state gets 2-7 delegates, one vote each.
  • Each delegate can only serve 3 times across a 6-year window of time.

Congress has to keep meeting publicly:

  • They must publish their journal every month except for things that must stay secret (i.e., treaties, alliances, military operations).
    • Activities that must stay secret require congress to vote on it.
  • They can’t adjourn for more than 6 months.

Whenever states can’t agree, a hearing will be set:

  1. The legislative or executive authority of the defending party will preside over it.
  2. Congress will select 3 people from every single state.
  3. The prosecuting and defending states will remove people one by one until there are 13 left.
  4. By random selection, congress will pick 7-9 names.
  5. Either the selected people, or any 5 of them, will serve as judges over the determination.

Committee delegates have limits:

  • The delegates aren’t allowed to serve more than 1 year in any 3-year window of time.