To secure the equal individual natural rights of those who are citizens.
Many political disputes arise over disagreements about what government should or should not do. These disputes point to an important question: What is the proper purpose of government?
It is one thing to say that people who are sick value health care; it is something quite different to insist that government should provide health care for everyone. It is one thing to say that education is important; it is something quite different to insist that government should provide education for everyone.
Civic harmony requires fellow citizens who share some common understanding about the proper purpose of government, which is succinctly summarized in the Declaration of Independence.
After positing “that that all men are created equal” in the sense that all human beings are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” among which are “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” the Declaration rightfully states “that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
The proper purpose of a government, therefore, is a fairly limited goal: to secure the equal individual natural rights of those who are citizens.
That’s it.
The proper purpose of a government is not to protect the natural rights of every human being on Earth. Citizens in other parts of the world should form their own governments that protect their own rights.
Also, the proper purpose of government is not to save the souls of citizens or force them to profess “correct” religious beliefs. The proper purpose of government is not to provide or give to citizens whatever they want. Anything that requires the labor and capital of others—anything that requires the property of others—cannot be a right, should not be an entitlement, and ought not be supplied by government.
The proper purpose of government is limited to protecting the natural rights of citizens—their individual liberty and private property—which is why a proper, legitimate government should have only limited powers. A government of limited purpose should be a government of limited powers.
FAQ
No. Waypoints is not a lesson-plan warehouse. It is a curated library of primary sources paired with tutorials that deepen content knowledge and strengthen instruction. There are no student-facing lesson-plans; there are tutorials for teachers. For teachers, Waypoints is more like graduate school than a set of prepared lesson plans.
The Home Plan is ideal for individual learners and homeschooling families.
Organizer and Educator accounts can access the tutorials. Student accounts cannot.
Waypoints is a digital platform for learning and teaching built around beautifully published Primary Source Documents and Teacher Tutorials that reinforce selected Key Ideas of Liberty.
The Home Plan is $199 per year and includes an Organizer account, up to two Educator accounts, and up to four Student accounts.
Yes. Many people use the Home Plan simply for their own access to the Library and Tutorials. If you are a lifelong learner, the Home Plan is for you.
No. The purchase process automatically creates your Organizer account, which includes full access to all Waypoints content.
A Custom Plan is for schools, organizations, or other users whose needs are not fully met by a Home Plan or an Academy Plan. It can include a tailored combination of Educator and Student accounts. Please contact us for a Custom Plan proposal.
Student accounts can access the Library of primary source documents.
Yes, please do! We encourage teachers to use Tutorial content, written or video, any way they find helpful.
The Academy Plan is designed for schools, school districts, and other educational organizations.
For schools and districts, pricing is based on student enrollment. For non-school organizations and businesses, pricing is based on membership or staff size.
Please use the Contact Us page to discuss pricing, onboarding, and implementation.
Educators receive tutorials that illuminate the documents, deepen subject-matter knowledge, and support stronger classroom instruction.
You can go to the Waypoints Library and see the list of titles we have curated stretching across subjects such as American history, political thought, philosophy, economics, and citizenship.
Not yet. Additional titles are being prepared and published on a rolling basis. We will let members know when as more documents are published and uploaded to the Library.
Yes. Waypoints is designed to enrich and elevate existing instruction, especially in history, civics, government, and related courses. A teacher does not need to abandon the textbooks, lesson plans, or other curricula materials that have been used for past instruction. Waypoints is designed as an add-on to the materials teachers have been using and assigning to students.
