On September 17, 1787, the last day of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin was reportedly asked what kind of government we now had. His reply was “A republic, if you can keep it.” Surely in that statement Dr. Franklin indicated a deep understanding that “…secur(ing) the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…” would require that each generation of Americans study, understand, appreciate and defend this new Constitution, and pass along its immense importance to the next. As with any organization that fallen man establishes, there will be drift if a commitment to remain faithful to written core principles is not diligently maintained.
The Founders exercised Godly wisdom in giving this new national government a very limited number of “enumerated powers,” and declaring in Article 10 of the Bill of Rights that “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.” Our current condition is far removed from that design, as evidenced by the immense size and overreach of the national government; and also by the erosion of, and continual attacks on, our God-given, Constitutionally-protected rights. There are well over 200 federal agencies (no one seems to know the exact number) to which Congress has given authority to make rules that have the force of law. Our Second Amendment rights have recently been under attack again by Congress itself. And some on the left have even started openly calling for elimination of the Constitution altogether.
But there are signs of hope. Thanks to the conservative shift in the U.S. Supreme Court a few years ago, the latest session saw the removal of the federal government’s illegitimate authority over the states on the issue of abortion, the reigning in of some of the Environmental Protection Agency’s onerous “rules,” reaffirming religious freedom protections under the First Amendment, and confirming that the Second Amendment does indeed protect an individual right …”to keep and bear arms.” And momentum is building at the state level to eliminate other restrictions wrongly imposed by the federal government.
So let’s do our part to continue restoration of the proper Constitutional order. Deepen your knowledge of the history and meaning of the Constitution – I recommend Hillsdale College’s Constitution courses, available for no cost on its website. Contact elected representatives to express appreciation or concerns. Support organizations and candidates with proven Constitutional conservative track records. Vote in every election. Pass along to the next generations what a blessing from God this nation and the Constitution have been to its citizens and the world (it shouldn’t be a mystery why so many people from other nations want to come to America). And most importantly, pray for God’s continued blessing on our nation and for wisdom in doing our part to preserve what He has given us.
The Founders understood that power needed to be kept as near to the people’s control as possible, and that forming a constitutional, representative republic was the best way to accomplish that. They formed the republic – we must continuously work if we are to keep it!
