Constitutionalism is a form ofpolitical thought and action that seeks to preventtyranny including worst result ofmajority rule and to guarantee theliberty and rights of individuals. Constitutionalism is the conduct ofpolitics in accordance with aconstitution.
From the eighteenth century the essential element in modern constitutionalism is thedoctrine of limited government under a written fundamental law.Limited government means that officials cannot act arbitrarily when they make and enforce public decisions. Public officials cannot simply do as they please. The Constitution is the supreme law that guides and limits the exercise ofpower by government officials.
In 1787 representatives of the people of the United States drafted and ratified a Constitution. Article 6 of theUnited States Constitution states this principle: “The Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof … shall be the supreme Law of the Land.” All laws, passed either by Congress or by state legislatures, must conform to the supreme law—the Constitution. AsAlexander Hamilton explained in theFederalist Papers No. 78: “No legislative act contrary to the Constitution, therefore, can be valid.” Actually, alegislative orexecutive action that violates the Constitution can be declared unconstitutional, or unlawful, by theSupreme Court.
Aconstitutional monarchy is a form of government that lies betweenabsolutism andparliamentary republic. In absolutism, the monarch is free to do what he likes, and there is no way to control him. A parliamentary republic operates without a monarch.
