There are plenty of revolutionaries that declare this and that and have lofty principles, but when they are unsuccessful in overthrowing their oppressor or opponent, then what was so declared and desired by these revolutionaries, doesn’t really matter all that much, except for perhaps the history books. In America, the colonists rebelled against their oppressor, and ultimately, they were successful in that revolution; but having been successful they then had to face the problem or the issue of the fact that thirteen sovereign States so joined together under a loose Confederation of those States is not the same thing as a strong and united national government. That is to say, these States were all in the battle, together, so that, it would seem to therefore make eminent sense, that joined together into one body politic would be the best policy going forward; of which, after much thought, debate and interaction, the Constitution was not only drafted and amended, but ratified by all of those same thirteen States. It is also important to recognize, that what America did not want to devolve into, was a country divided by the conflicting interests of different regions of that country, for a civil war would be disastrous for that nation; of which, as we know, this subsequently occurred.
It is important to note that each of those thirteen States had their own State Constitution, before the United States Constitution was ratified; so then, what was really at issue for those thirteen States was putting together a limited national Constitutional government, with delegated specific powers for that national government; so as, for instance, to coin and regulate money and debt on a national basis, to negotiate treaties and other areas of business for that government, as well as many other pertinent areas of national interest; but also, quite importantly to thereby set aside all the other undelegated powers to the States or to the people, at large.
What has occurred over the decades since the ratification of that Constitution is what is pretty much obvious, which is that State Constitutions while being still of relevancy to those individual States on some matters, are for the most part, superseded by the power of the Federal Government and its interpretation of legislated laws on a national scale, which therefore has become the law of the entire land, on just about any major issue of interest. So then, the individual States have over a long period of time, seen their sovereignty compromised and seemingly will not ever get it back. What is of relevancy in the present day, is whether or not there are any meaningful constraints which still uphold and contend that this is a national government of specific delegated powers? The general answer to that question, is that there really doesn’t appear to be any. That is to say, the people, in whole, do not appear to be in charge of their national government; though of course they do have representatives to it; but those so representing that government, seem not to answer to the people’s beat or to their interests, but answer instead to an unelected minority faction of this country, above all else.
Sadly, we are at that place, in which the words so written in our Constitution which appear to be clear and precise, are not interpreted that way; so that what we functionally have is a national government, which never cedes ground, but takes ever more, every single day from the people, and from the States, with no recourse for those people of those States to be found.