Lesson 1 Summary

Former Secretary of DHS Michael Chertoff stressed at his swearing-in ceremony as Secretary that the department’s strategic mission “is no less than this: protect America, while fostering the values of liberty, privacy, and opportunity we all hold dear.”  The U.S. Constitution defines the structure and function of the federal government as well as guarantees all Americans that certain basic rights and liberties are protected.

Chris Bellavita (2007) writes, “The Constitution of the United States – and the more than a 200-year history of interpreting that document – is, and ought to provide, the foundational understanding of what it means to participate in this nation” (HSAJ, p.22).  He goes on to say, “The Constitution reminds us that our continually emerging, perpetually incomplete, task is to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty.  Those are essential principles around which to secure the American homeland” (p.22).

The basic question will remain:  How much liberty are we willing to surrender to the federal government in return for the perception of a more secure homeland?  As perspective homeland security practioners and future leaders we must be ever mindful of the legal principles at the core of our Republic.