Most who live in the United States probably know that the Constitution created the basis of the country’s government, and many can perhaps quote a passage from the Bill of Rights or vaguely discuss the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government and their roles. But really, how familiar are most of us with the Constitution, the first written document to establish a nation’s government?

Middle Tennessee resident Paul Engel operates constitutionstudy.com in an effort to encourage Constitutional discourse and promote the ideas of living in freedom and preserving the Constitutional republic for the next generation.

“You may learn more about the principles found within the Constitution from Schoolhouse Rock than from 12 years of government-run schooling,” points out Engel, who considers himself “another patriot fighting to restore our nation to its proper order,” as are all who stand for the preservation of the Constitution.

“Could part of the problem with a lack of understanding of our Constitution have to do with how teaching it was approached? Could it be that a focus on names and dates was less effective than the stories and reasons behind the document? Could a practical application of Constitutional ideas engage people better than a ‘history lesson’?” Engel asks on his website.

He says he wants all Americans to become more familiar with the document and to take on an active role in protecting its principles today.

“The U.S. Constitution is only approximately 8,000 words long and the Declaration of Independence only adds about 1,500 more. The average reader should be able to get through the Constitution in about 20 minutes and the Declaration in about another five,” Engel says.

He passes on words from John Jay, a Founding Father and the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, that every American “ought diligently to read and to study the constitution of his country;” Engel jokingly points out that Jay did not say that only “every lawyer and politician should read it (though I wish they would, too).”

Since 2017 Engel has written a wealth of articles for constitutionstudy.com, tackling a wide range of topics varying from the Electoral College, the IRS, digital currencies, the government’s role in policy regarding sexual orientation, rental inspection programs, education, vaccine mandates and immigration, applying the words found in the Constitution to the controversial and important matters of the day.

It is up to all Americans to hold all three (non-equal) branches of government accountable, stated Engel in a column pointing out that, according to the Constitution, “The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour.”

Engel opines that Congress has a responsibility to remove members of the judiciary from their position if they do not exhibit “good behaviour,” particularly in instances of a judge issuing a ruling contrary to the Constitution.

“Judges and the courts routinely overstep their bounds today,” Engel writes. “The court’s opinions have to stand up to the plain reading of the Constitution.”

In discussing the ongoing legal “Grudge Match Between Sexual Orientation and Religious Freedom” Engel writes that the government can not, constitutionally, compel Americans to act contrary to their religious beliefs.

In a 2023 column, Engel points out that the executive branch currently has 15 different cabinet-level departments. He said he views five of these departments—the Department of State, Department of Treasury, Department of Defense, Department of Justice and Department of Commerce—as clearly exercising powers that the Constitution delegates to the United States government.

“That’s not to say all these departments do is Constitutional, but their core purposes are Constitutional,” Engel writes.

However, the constitutional scholar finds that the Department of Agriculture, Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Transportation, Department of Energy and Department of Education are not exercising powers delegated to the United States by the Constitution.

“Congress did not create these departments pursuant to the Constitution, and therefore their policies are not the supreme law of the land,” Engel writes.

The constitutionstudy.com operator considers the remaining three cabinet departments—the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Interior and Department of Homeland Security—constitutionally questionable.

“They may be exercising powers delegated to the United States, but it’s not exactly obvious,” Engel said.

Another of his columns looks at immigration and border enforcement from a constitutional perspective.

While Congress does have the power, according to the Constitution, “to establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization” (regulations surrounding someone becoming a citizen of the U.S.), Engel views border control and visitation as primarily a state issue, a state should be able to regulate who enters that state from a foreign country.

“The power to regulate immigration or visitation is retained by the states,” writes Engel. “However, decades ago, the states allowed the United States to usurp their control over immigration into their states.”

Some framing the mass immigration across the southern U.S. border as an “invasion,” Engel says, is part of an effort of the states to neglect their responsibility to patrol and secure their borders and pass that responsibility onto the federally controlled military.

If voters are dissatisfied with the laws of actions of their government, Engel reminds them to keep in mind words from former President James Garfield: “the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness and corruption.”

Ultimately, Engel wants Americans to educate themselves, to remain active in civic life at all levels and to take on the responsibility of self-governance with pride.

“We have allowed not only the courts, but governments at all levels to place themselves above the supreme law of the land. We have allowed those governments to transform themselves from servants of the people to their masters,” he writes, imploring his fellow Americans to keep alive the sacred fire of liberty and sustain the republican model of government that the Founding Fathers entrusted to us.

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Read more commentary on how the Constitution applies to modern events and movements, ask Paul questions and find more resources at constitutionstudy.com, or contact him directly at paul@constitutionstudy.com. Look for more Constitution Study columns from Paul Engel in future editions of the Murfreesboro Pulse.