Final answer:
The United States was founded on Constitutional Ideals including equality, unalienable rights, popular sovereignty, limited government, and protection of individual liberties, strongly influenced by the Enlightenment and ancient democratic principles. These ideals have sustained over 200 years with minimal amendments to the Constitution, reflecting the success of America's original democratic experiment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Foundational Principles of the United States
The foundation of the United States is built upon a number of philosophical principles, often referred to as Constitutional Ideals. Among these principles are the belief that all people are created equal, as stated in the Declaration of Independence, with unalienable rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights further specify how these ideals are to be upheld, ensuring that power originates from the populace, that the scope of government is limited, and that individual liberties are protected. Influenced by the Enlightenment, the Protestant Reformation, and historical governance models from ancient Greece and Rome, America's Founding Fathers set forth an experiment in democracy within a Federal Republic.
These fundamental values were woven into the fabric of American governance and remain as cornerstones: popular sovereignty, where authority is derived from the people; the rule of law, which mandates that no one is above the law; checks and balances, ensuring that no single branch of government becomes too powerful; and federalism, the distribution of power between national and state governments. Verified by historical developments and changes, the success of this experiment is evident more than two centuries later, with the Constitution having been amended only 27 times, embodying the resilience and adaptability of these founding ideals.