The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Henry defines the Constitution as a tool for citizens to limit government power, not vice versa.
- In plain terms
- The government should be controlled by the people, not the other way around.
- What can you take from it?
- Citizens must restrain government power.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do we enforce limits on power?
- Is the Constitution still effective today?
Another view
Governments often expand power regardless of written constraints.
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