Harbin,

When the USA Constitution was written there was NO government! There was
a group of independent states. No government higher than state
government in existence. All state governments were equal.

The USA Constitution begins: "We the People..." not "We the citizens..."

Rights, ALL RIGHTS belong to the people. If you studied philosophy, you
would conclude that rights are rooted in the dignity of the person, not
derived from government. Government responsibilities and authority are
delegated from the people to the government for the maximum common good
for the maximum number of people.