The men who wrote the Constitution designed a government aimed at resolving divergentsectional and commercial interests. In the process, they created institutions that served to balance two competing forces in Americanlife: liberty and equality. To achieve this end, the founding fathers incorporated 15 principles into the Constitution, their blueprint for American government and society. These principles re-flect how political authority should be allocated, how the economy should be organized, how the legal system should operate, and howAmerican society should function. In turn, the Framers hoped these principles would frame the policies on which government action and laws would unfold.This essay describes that structure: striking a balance between liberty and equality; identifying the principles and their evolution through our nation's history; and, outlining the policies that translate these principles into action.If we are unhappy with the government we have today, it is because we have deviated from these principles. If we don't ask for the governmentwe want, we will get the government we deserve. If it is to change, and it will change, there must be individuals willing to articulate and implement what that requires. Like the Marines, America is waitingfor good men-and women-to step forward.