Editor’s note: The Free Press opinion page will feature commentaries on the U.S. Constitution this week in observance of Constitution Week.
Nowadays there seems to be little interest in the founding of our country on the part of people who think that what happened in 1776 or 1787 has little bearing on issues of today. Let’s look at this concept.
This week 226 years ago, the Constitutional Convention, after much debate, approved the United States Constitution. Subsequently, the required states ratified it, and Gen. George Washington was inaugurated as president of the United States.
Ben Franklin was asked what kind of government the convention created. He replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.” Many of the founders understood that it is the responsibility of the people to keep the government in compliance with the Constitution. Now, over 200 years later, we are still trying to do that, and it is becoming more and more difficult.
What exactly is a Republic? A Republic is a form of government where representatives are elected by the people who represent our interests in the halls of government. Well then, what is a Democracy? A Democracy is the form of government where the majority rules. We have what is best described as a constitutional republic, a representative government that is governed by a written Constitution that is considered the law of the land. The founders intended that America was to be a nation under the rule of law rather than the arbitrary rule of men.