Essay Sample about Limited Government

Limited government is the most important core value in ensuring democracy and a stable government because it protects the people.

The first amendment of the Constitution clearly demonstrates support for limited government being the most important. It states that the government cannot make laws that violate citizen’s natural rights, which are freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and protest. By limiting what the government can do, people don’t have to worry about their rights being taken away. This gives the people more freedom, and more power for themselves, and therefore emphasizes the idea of democracy. This limitation also keeps the government stable because people would start getting mad if their rights were taken away, causing conflict between the government and citizens. This conflict could lead to government officials disagreeing with each other too, as some would grow power hungry and try to take over. But, since we have a limited government, these problems are avoided, which is why it is so crucial to our country.

To continue, the Supreme Court case Wisconsin v. Yoder is a prime example of why limited government is so important. In the case, 2 parents did not want to send their kids to school because they believed it was against their religious beliefs, but there was a Wisconsin law that required kids to go to school until they were 16. They ruled in favor of Yoder, or the parents, stating that the state government had no power to make a law that violated the right to religion under the first amendment. By forcing the kids to attend school, they were not allowing them to practice their religion, which entailed not going to school. Due to limited government though, the government does not have the right to do so. This helps make sure everyone is allowed to practice their own religious beliefs without it being held against them or infringed upon. They have the power to live by their own religion, as it is a democracy. 

However, some may say that limited government is a bad thing because in some cases the government should be able to limit people’s rights. While this may be true, there are certain circumstances, such as civil threats/danger or obscenity, that the government is allowed to intervene in and limit. The limited government can restrict dangerous usage of rights while still protecting citizens rights, and for that reason it is the most important.