'The Bill of Rights was not written to protect governments from trouble. It was written precisely to give the people the constitutional means to cause trouble for governments they no longer trusted.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The Bill of Rights empowers citizens to challenge untrusted governments rather than shielding the state from unrest.
- In plain terms
- The Bill of Rights lets people cause trouble for untrusted governments.
- What can you take from it?
- The Bill of Rights enables citizens to hold government accountable.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do rights protect people?
- What constitutes government trust?
Another view
Governments may still find ways to limit these constitutional means.
More from Henry Steele Commager
'The greatest danger we face is not any particular kind of thought. The greatest danger we face is absence of thought.'
Permalink to quote #6 Henry S. Commager said that the US Constitution was the best chance for political freedom, calling it a 'perfect blueprint.'
Permalink to quote #8 'Censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates in the end the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion.'
Permalink to quote #5
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