At bottom, in the space left by a limited central government, the people could rule themselves by their own moral and social values, and call on local political institutions to assist them.

Limiting government means putting political energy and know-how to work to ensure that it stays within its legal walls.

After the failure of weak parliamentary rule under the Articles of Confederation, the Framers of the U.S. Constitution set out to create a federal system of a strong -- yet limited -- central ...