Limited Government

Limited government is the principle that the government powers are fixed and bounded: the federal government may exercise only the powers the Constitution grants it, and everything else is reserved to the states or the people (Tenth Amendment). The Constitution Annotated describes the U.S. government as “one of enumerated powers” — a government of listed authorities rather than general authority. Limits run in several directions: powers are enumerated, separated among three branches, checked by each other, and constrained by individual rights.

Example: The enumerated-powers structure means Congress can act only under a listed power — when it cannot identify one, a law is unconstitutional. The Constitution Annotated quotes the founding-era principle that the federal government “can exercise only the powers granted to it.”

Common misconception: Limited government does not mean small government. The constitutional limits have been interpreted expansively at times (Commerce Clause, Spending Clause, Necessary and Proper Clause), so the modern federal government is very large and still limited government: every federal action must trace to a granted power, and courts test that link in every challenge.

Sources: Enumerated, Implied, Resulting, and Inherent Powers | Constitution Annotated"