Today the U.S. Constitution turns 220 years old. This document has weathered domestic strife, endured countless criticisms, and has undergone many recent interpretations and setbacks, but it has survived as a shining beacon of American ideals.
But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. 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. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.
James Madison or Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Papers, No. 51
