“Trust”
Do you really know the people that you chose to elect as
officials in your government? For an example, Divine, Breen, Fredrickson, and
Williams wrote, a new beginning as follows, in 1789, one phase of American
political experimentation had come to an end.
During these years, the people gradually learned
that in a republican society, they themselves were sovereign.
They could no longer blame the failure of
government on inept monarchs or greedy aristocrats. They bore a great
responsibility.
Americans had demanded a government of the people
only to discover during the 1780s that in some situations, the people could not
be trusted with power, majorities could tyrannize minorities, and the best of
governments could abuse individual rights.
The people needed protection from officials who
would twist the language of the documentation to a tyrannical end.
Two of these people were Patrick Henry, and
George Mason. It is said that they worked tirelessly, and pressed for a Bill
of Rights to be added to the Constitution. They feared that without specific
protections our rights would be infringed upon. And in 1789, after a long and
controversial debate The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution of the