Part 2 The Great Compromise

     In Glenn Beck's introduction to the the next section he points out that tyranny, not freedom is man's natural state of government. Without a strong force such as our Constitution to protect individual rights, tyranny will return. We must be careful not to equate the Constitution with government. The Constitution not only protects us from the tyrannical individual but also from government itself. Remember, the government is not our "protector."

     The public at the time of the Federalist Papers was wary of handing over their newly, hard won freedoms to anyone, which was why the Articles of Confederation were not binding on the individual states making each state its own entity. Publius knew how necessary it was to unite the states in order to protect our freedoms. Unfortunately, even with a strong Constitution our government is ever so gradually heading toward the natural state of tyranny by stretching the boundaries of its powers. 

     The founders understood by studying history that neither monarchies which assume there is a perfect, wise ruler, nor utopias which assume man is perfect would result in the type of government they fought so hard for. They wanted balanced power with each branch watching over the other and the people watching over it all with the primary roll of government to simply protect our liberties and rights so that we can 'pursue' happiness.

     It is interesting to note that there were many compromises made during the writing of the Constitution. Then, as now, government moved slowly and issues such as slavey, which many of the founders opposed and believed to be inhumane, had to be postponed. Insisting on its abolition would have ultimately meant no constitution and no union. Sometimes, as the founders understood, very important issues must be postponed or there is no chance of a solution.