In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.” –James Madison, Federalist No. 51

At the time of the founding of America it was unheard of for a people to govern themselves.  The Pilgrim leaders wrote the Mayflower Compact out of the need to establish order for their colony/plantation because they were blown off course which rendered their government charter null and void.  The Mayflower Compact was a historic document as it expressed this belief in self-government as opposed to a monarchy.

The Pilgrims and then the Puritans believed that as Christians it was their responsibility to govern themselves with self-discipline, personal responsibility and a strong sense of duty.  The church at Plymouth and subsequent churches in New England were established on a Congregational system of church government.  This system allowed the men of the congregation to vote on their church leaders.  This was the polar opposite of the Church of England that was governed by a board of governors who ruled with a very rigid hand.  They did not allow members to have a voice in church matters. This rigidity led to outright persecution of dissenters which ultimately led to the exodus of the Separatists (Pilgrims) and the Puritans from England.

The Congregational system is what we would call today a grassroots system in which the members of the church voted on its leaders.  Each male member had one vote.  It is out of this congregational system that much of our Representative government evolved.  Our founders were greatly influenced by John Calvin and most were Calvinists, meaning they believed in the depravity of man apart from Christ’s redemptive work.  Part of that belief was that government was inherently evil when left unchecked.  That belief birthed the separation of powers with checks and balances to make sure the government was not taken over by one person or branch.

It is important for us to realize that they were living under the rule of a monarch (man) and knew firsthand the pitfalls. Man has personal bias’ that can impact how he governs and it can change day to day.  Power is like a seductive drug that tends to take over and control men.  In other words, the most evil governments in the history of the world were ruled by men who were willing to kill or imprison their own fellow citizens if they did not agree with them 100% of the time.  They ruled from a very anti-Christ position with no respect for life or liberty.  Interestingly, the most murderous leaders all lived in the twentieth century.

Because of the founders biblical view of the world they believed the best type of government would be one that was ruled by laws (which do not change) instead of man (who changes daily).  This is where we get the term “rule of law”.  Through their knowledge and wisdom, they adopted a system that most of the states/colonies had already embraced – one based on a constitution which specifies the laws under which each state would govern with representatives that were elected by the male land owners of the colony/state.  These state constitutions came to form the basis of our national Constitution.

Dinner Table Discussion Question: Where must government by the people start in order to be successful?