Who drafted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, was the 4th President of the United States, and was homeschooled? That's right—James Madison! Join Mike Smith for a look at Madison's legacy on Home School Heartbeat.
Mike Smith:
The Constitution went into effect on June 21, 1788, with the ratification of New Hampshire. It has endured for 215 years. America is the only country that has maintained its republican form of government for this length of time.
History has taught us that many countries that have experimented with self-government have often failed to maintain their original framework. For example, France has completely changed its constitution over 30 times since the French Revolution.
The U.S. Constitution has been amended 27 times, with the most dramatic improvements occurring after the Civil War. Yet despite the terrible episode of the Civil War, the country and the Constitution survived.
President James Madison had the wisdom and foresight to provide a mechanism to amend the Constitution. The Constitution needed to be flexible to adapt to changing circumstances, but its underlying principles should not be changed.
Madison cemented his legacy as the architect of a document that demonstrated that self-government was both possible and highly beneficial.
Thanks to Madison, generation upon generation of both Americans and those in other lands know that a republican or democratic form of government is the best solution to order the affairs of man.
Though not perfect, America has led the way.
We pray that more people around the world will also experience the benefits of Madison's labors of over 215 years ago.
And until next time, I'm Mike Smith.
