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| | The answer is the U.S. Constitution. It has created far more wealth and prosperity than all other human works combined. | | The answer is the U.S. Constitution. It has created far more wealth and prosperity than all other human works combined. |
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| − | Yet few people today have even read the Constitution. Less than 1% of the public understands it. In this course you will acquire knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution that will assist you throughout your life. The Constitution is there to help us, and the more we can understood, the more useful it becomes. | + | Yet few people today have even read the Constitution. Less than 1% of the public understands it. In this course you will acquire knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution that will assist you throughout your life. The Constitution is there to help us, and the more we can understood, the more useful it becomes. You can successful by using the Constitution nearly every day. |
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| | + | What makes the Constitution so great? First, it is concise. Its original length is only slightly longer than this lecture. The United States Constitution is the shortest constitution of any nation in the world. It says what needs to be said, and no more. Concise works are often the greatest, like the small painting of the Mona Lisa, or a beautiful diamond. |
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| | + | Second, the Constitution recognizes and protects against tyranny, or the tendency for some men or groups of men to try to take control of a people. Throughout all of history evil has attempted to triumph over good. The Constitution was developed as a safeguard against that. It divides power into three branches of government, and limits the power of each branch. It establishes a "limited government," not an unlimited one. |
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| | + | As James Madison, one of the participants in the drafting of the Constitution said, "If men were angels, no government would be necessary."<ref>http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/james_madison.html#A3tR1MWXjTFjM3ki.99</ref> But government should be sharply limited in its power, as James Madison further said, "All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree."<ref>https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/63859.James_Madison</ref> |
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| | == Before the Constitution: The Articles of Confederation == | | == Before the Constitution: The Articles of Confederation == |
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| | == Homework == | | == Homework == |
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| − | 1. Read the entire Constitution in about an hour's time beginning to end, to see the "big picture" of the document. Do not worry if you do not understand every term or concept in it. | + | 1. Read the original Constitution (stopping at Amendment I) taking no more an hour, in order to see the "big picture" of the document. An online copy is here.<ref>http://constitutioncenter.org/constitution/full-text</ref> Do not worry if you do not understand every term or concept in it. The entire original Constitution can be read aloud in only about 40 minutes. |
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| | 2. Write an outline for the Articles in the Constitution (do not include the Amendments, which were added later). For example, "Article I - establishes Congress and defines its legislative power. Article II - ...." | | 2. Write an outline for the Articles in the Constitution (do not include the Amendments, which were added later). For example, "Article I - establishes Congress and defines its legislative power. Article II - ...." |