Limited government is a government where any more than minimal governmental intervention in personal liberties and the economy is not usually allowed by law, usually in a written Constitution. It is closely related to free market libertarianism and some tendencies of classical liberalism and conservatism in the United States.[citation needed] The theory of limited government contrasts with the idea that government should intervene to promote equality and opportunity[1] through regulation of property and wealth redistribution.
Limited government is a common practice through Western culture. It has roots in Hebraic Law. In Western Civilization, the Magna Carta and the United States Constitution are examples of the limiting of government powers
Added as an afterthought, but today very much a key part of the American Constitution is the Bill of Rights. After enumerating specific rights retained by the people in the first eight amendments, the Ninth Amendment and the Tenth Amendment summarily spelled out the principle of limited government. Together, these two last Amendments clarify the differences between the unenumerated (as well as enumerated) rights of the people versus the expressly codified delegated powers of the federal government. The Ninth Amendment codified that the rights of the people do not have to be expressly written in the Constitution (i.e., do not have to be enumerated) to still be retained by the people. In the reverse, though, the Tenth Amendment codified that any delegated powers of the federal government are only authorized to be performed so long as such delegated powers are expressly delegated to the federal government specifically by the U.S. Constitution.
The U.S. Constitution limits the power of the government in several ways. It prohibits the government from directly interfering with certain key areas: conscience, expression and association. Other actions are forbidden to the federal government and are reserved to state or local governments.
Contrast:
Limited government is a form of government with roles and powers given, and limited by law, usually in a written constitution. A limited government has only the powers that the people give it.
Related to this idea is "small government" – a system that put most of its power in smaller groups, such as private businesses and its own citizens. On the other hand, “big government” involves a great amount of intervention by the state.
In Britain, the idea of limited government is part of the political tradition and is not written into the British Constitution. However, in the United States, the idea of limited government is written into the Constitution.
   | Barth, Alan, 1991, The Roots of Limited Government - The Roots of Limited Government |
| | Unknown, Limited Government - Principle 5. Limited Government |
| | Americans for Prosperity - National site | Americans for Prosperity |
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