When I was a child, I was never taught much about the Constitution of this great country. How can we preserve or protect something when we don’t know what it is? So I have been studying this great document and I will share some inspiring and surprising findings with you so that you can make sure that your children’s education is not lacking in this area.

First, a little history

Our Founding Fathers had suffered the abuses of oppression. They were very educated men and they did a study of history and governments while forming our Constitution of the United States. They could have created an oligarchy with themselves in control. “In fact, there were those who wanted George Washington to be their king.”

After studying the pure democracy of the early Greeks, they realized that the form of government led to the rule of the mafia (the majority imposed their will on the minority). I know !! … lately you have repeatedly heard our political leaders refer to us as a democracy, but we pledge allegiance “to the Republic it represents.” Our politicians apparently do not know that Ben Franklin is quoted as saying, “a Republic, if it can be maintained.

The Founding Fathers also studied the Roman form of government. The Romans built a republic that limited the power of the government and left the people alone. Since government was limited, people were free to produce with the understanding that they could keep the fruits of their labor. In time, Rome became rich and the envy of the world, as did the United States.

Taking their prosperity for granted, the Roman people forgot what freedom entailed. They forgot that the essence of freedom is the proper limitation of government. When the power of the government grows, the freedom of the people recedes. So once the Romans lowered their guard, politicians seeking power began to exceed the powers given to them by the Roman Constitution. Some learned that they could elect leaders who would use the power of government to take property from some and give it to others. Farm subsidies were introduced, followed by housing and welfare programs. Inevitably, taxes went up and controls were imposed on the private sector. Over time, several of the producers in the countries could no longer make ends meet, and they also went on strike.

Franklin is said to have said: “We can keep our Republic, or we will inevitably end an Oligarchy, the tyranny of the elite.”

II. Amendment X is very important because it ensures the democratic principles of freedom. It says: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” In other words, if the Constitution does not grant the Federal Government a power in writing, it is not their power to take it, and doing so is constitutionally illegal. (see more about this below)

III. The constitution is a unifying document (another surprise)

The Founding Fathers warned against the two-party system we have now. They said it would divide us and that there would be those who would take advantage of that polarity.

Note: The two-party system is not mentioned in the Constitution. It is a very unifying document. September 11 taught us that we are Americans, just like the Constitution.

*** IV. A very important note:

When teaching the Constitution, keep in mind that the meaning of the words has changed from the time of our founding fathers to the present. Below is a link to Webster’s dictionary in 1913 and 1828. You can compare that to a modern version.

For example: The word “welfare” is used in the Preamble to the Constitution, and the 1828 edition of the word is: “2. Exemption from any unusual evil or calamity, the enjoyment of peace and prosperity or ordinary blessings of society and civil government; applied to the states “. In the current edition of Webster, “welfare is defined as” receiving government aid due to poverty, etc.

Thomas Jefferson stated: “Congress does not have unlimited powers to provide the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated.”

It’s interesting to write words like democracy, republic, and democratic republic to see how much has changed. Is very surprising.

V. Copy of the Constitution online. http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html