<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> In political philosophy, limited government is where the government is empowered by law from a starting point of having no power, or where governmental power is restricted by law, usually in a written constitution . It is a key concept in the history of liberalism . The United States Constitution presents an example of the federal government not possessing any power except what is delegated to it by the Constitution - with the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution specifically stating that powers not specifically delegated to the federal government is reserved for the people and the states . The Magna Carta and the United States Constitution also represents important milestones in the limiting of governmental power . The earliest use of the term limited government dates back to King James VI and I in the late 16th century . Limited government put into practice often involves the protection of individual liberty from government intrusion . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> Part of a series on </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Conservatism </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Variants (show) <Ul> <Li> Cultural </Li> <Li> Fiscal </Li> <Li> Green </Li> <Li> Liberal </Li> <Li> Libertarian </Li> <Li> National </Li> <Li> Neo - </Li> <Li> New Right </Li> <Li> One - nation </Li> <Li> Paleo - </Li> <Li> Social </Li> <Li> Traditionalist </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Concepts (show) <Ul> <Li> Familism </Li> <Li> Family values </Li> <Li> Free markets </Li> <Li> Limited government </Li> <Li> Private property </Li> <Li> Rule of law </Li> <Li> Small government </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> People (show) <Ul> <Li> Burke </Li> <Li> De Maistre </Li> <Li> De Chateaubriand </Li> <Li> Von Metternich </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Organizations (show) <Ul> <Li> International Democrat Union (IDU) </Li> <Li> European People's Party (EPP) </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Religious conservatism (show) <Ul> <Li> Christian right </Li> <Li> Christian fundamentalism </Li> <Li> Jewish right </Li> <Li> Islamic fundamentalism </Li> <Li> Traditionalist Catholic </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> National variants (show) <Ul> <Li> Australia </Li> <Li> Canada </Li> <Li> China </Li> <Li> Colombia </Li> <Li> Germany </Li> <Li> Hong Kong </Li> <Li> India </Li> <Li> New Zealand </Li> <Li> Pakistan </Li> <Li> Serbia </Li> <Li> South Korea </Li> <Li> Taiwan </Li> <Li> Turkey </Li> <Li> United Kingdom </Li> <Li> United States </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Related topics (show) <Ul> <Li> Aristocracy </Li> <Li> Capitalism </Li> <Li> Center - right </Li> <Li> Corporatism </Li> <Li> Counter-revolutionary </Li> <Li> Fascism </Li> <Li> Monarchism </Li> <Li> Neoliberalism </Li> <Li> New Right </Li> <Li> Radical centrism </Li> <Li> Radical right (Europe) </Li> <Li> Reactionary </Li> <Li> Right - wing politics </Li> <Li> Toryism </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> Conservatism portal </Li> <Li> Politics portal </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> </Table>

Where did the idea of limited government first appear