What does limited government mean?

Limited government means the federal government and the states cannot do whatever they want; their authority is bounded by the Constitution and by the rights of the people. The Constitution limits government in three main ways. First, by enumerating powers. Article I, Section 8 lists the specific powers of Congress, and the Tenth Amendment reserves any powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people. Second, by structural design. Separation of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, plus checks and balances among them, plus federalism between national and state governments, ensure no single official or institution accumulates unchecked authority. Third, by guarantees of individual rights, especially the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment, which carve out areas where neither federal nor state government can intrude regardless of how popular a measure may be.

Concrete provisions illustrate the principle. Article I, Section 9 forbids Congress to suspend habeas corpus except in rebellion or invasion, to pass bills of attainder or ex post facto laws, or to grant titles of nobility. Article I, Section 10 imposes parallel limits on the states. The First Amendment bars Congress from establishing a religion or abridging the freedoms of speech, press, assembly, or petition. The Fourth Amendment requires probable cause for searches and seizures. The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments require due process before life, liberty, or property may be taken.

Limited government has roots that predate the Constitution. The Magna Carta of 1215 forced King John to acknowledge that even the king is subject to law. The English Bill of Rights of 1689 imposed similar limits. Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke and Montesquieu refined the idea, and the colonists invoked it against Parliament's claim of authority to tax them without representation.

Limited government does not mean weak government. The federal government exercises enormous power within its constitutional sphere, including raising armies, regulating interstate commerce, taxing income, and prosecuting federal crimes. The point is that those powers come with boundaries, and citizens can enforce those boundaries through elections, courts, and constitutional amendment.