The Founder’s Solution for a Balanced System of Government
Here’s a simple question for everyone: In six words, what is our government’s job?
If you stop to think about it, the government that the founder’s envisioned was really very minimal—non-intrusive, strong to defend us, out of our lives for the most part, but always directed by a basic set of principles that are and remain universal to all people everywhere.
Somewhere down the road, some Americans began to get afraid of failure and competition in their lives. It was “unfair.” They wanted some big hammer stronger than themselves to force compliance in whatever problem they had so life would be fair.
Unfortunately, they began to find a big hammer in government. And those in government thought it perfectly fine to do for others what they couldn’t do for themselves. Your neighbor has two cars? If you wanted one you can’t just take it, that’s stealing. But lobby the government to increase taxes on people making more money than you, then they can’t afford that second car and everything is fair again.
That old tired failure formula hasn’t worked in the past and can’t work in the future. Why? Because government control of lives to that extent is like a trailer park in tornado alley—it attracts corruption and power to individuals instead of the people.
Today, we’re so far down that path of government meddling and control, most Americans have stopped looking to help themselves and are looking for the government to take over. It’s expected—it’s demanded—it’s nuts.
The Founders saw that pattern among societies throughout history. It’s everywhere the research is available to find it. Just this week I read about a dynasty in ancient China where the new emperor burned 2,000 years of Chinese history and on penalty of death ordered everyone to teach, speak and practice his ideas only. That was 2,200 years ago. There is nothing new under the sun when it comes to tyranny.
The Founder’s challenge was how to protect the individual in a cooperative as large as ours. Their great contribution was how to protect the rights of the individual yet preserve the freedoms of the whole.
That’s a tough challenge. But they found it. The roots of the solution were discovered in ancient Israel and the Anglo-Saxons. The idea was simple enough—to empower “the people.”
Here’s how dad explains it, beginning on page 15 of the Five Thousand Year Leap.
The Founders Note the Similarities between Anglo Saxon Common Law and People’s Law
As the Founders studied the record of the ancient Israelites they were intrigued by the fact that they also operated under a system of laws remarkably similar to those of the Anglo Saxons. The two systems were similar both in precept and operational structure. In fact, the Reverend Thomas Hooker wrote the “Fundamental Orders of Connecticut” based on the principles recorded by Moses in the first chapter of Deuteronomy. These “Fundamental Orders” were adopted in 1639 and constituted the first written constitution in modern times. This constitutional charter operated so successfully that it was adopted by Rhode Island. When the English colonies were converted over to independent states, these were the only two states which had constitutional documents which readily adapted themselves to the new order of self government. All of the other states had to write new constitutions.
Here are the principal characteristics of the People’s Law in ancient Israel which were almost identical with those of the Anglo Saxons:
1. First of all, they were set up as a commonwealth of freemen. A basic tenant was: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” (Leviticus 25:10.) These same words are inscribed on the American Liberty Bell.
Whenever the Israelites fell into the temptation to have slaves or bond-servants, they were reprimanded. Around 600 B.C., a divine reprimand was given through Jeremiah: “Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty everyone to his brother, and every man to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the Lord.” (Jeremiah 34:17)
2. All the people were organized into small manageable units where the representative of each family had a voice and a vote. This organizing process was launched after Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, saw him trying to govern the people under Ruler’s Law. (See Exodus 18:13-26.)
When the structure was completed the Israelites were organized as follows:
Moses
V.P. (Aaron) and V.P. (Joshua)
A Senate or Council of 70
A Congress of Elected Representatives
1000 Families
100 Families
50 Families
10 Families
Single family
3. There was specific emphasis on strong, local self-government.
Problems were solved to the greatest possible extent on the level where they originated.
The record says: “The hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.” (Exodus 18:26)
4. The entire code of justice was based primarily on reparation to the victim rather than fines and punishment by the commonwealth. (Reference to this procedure will be found in Exodus, chapters 21 and 22.) The one crime for which no “satisfaction” could be given was first-degree murder. The penalty was death. (See Numbers 35:31.)
5. Leaders were elected and new laws were approved by the common consent of the people. (See 2 Samuel 2:4; 1 Chronicles 29:22; for the rejection of a leader, see 2 Chronicles 10:16; for the approval of new laws, see Exodus 19:8.)
6. Accused persons were presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. Evidence had to be strong enough to remove any question of doubt as to guilt. Borderline cases were decided in favor of the accused and he was released. It was felt that if he were actually guilty, his punishment could be left to the judgment of God in the future life.
When the structure was completed the Israelites were organized as follows:
Note: These numbers are approximations based on the census recorded in the first chapter of the book of Numbers of the Old Testament.
Howard B. Rand, an American lawyer, reviewed these principles and wrote:
“When the time came for the United States of America to adopt a constitution, our forefathers modeled it after the perfect Israelite system of administration.” (Howard B. Rand, Digest of the Divine Law, Merrimac, Massachusetts: Destiny Publishers, 1943, pp. 130-31.)
These solid principles became the tow ropes down the stream of history for over a thousand years. Today Americans must take hold of those tow ropes if our nation is to survive. We must:
1. Acknowledge the inspiration of the Founders’ Success Formula.
2. Reinstate Constitutional principles in our government.
3. Revive our love for God, family, and country.
4. Rejuvenate morality in our lives, in our businesses, and in our country.