▶ Key Takeaways
- The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was a radical attempt to overthrow 2,000 years of rule by monarchies—kings, queens, and dictatorial rulers.
- The Constitution was created for a moral and religious people.
- The framers believed that no framework of government could restrain human greed if the people lacked internal moral virtue and self-control.
- After meeting for a month, the Constitutional Convention delegates were deadlocked over the issue of equal representation in Congress by small states versus large states.
- Some delegates had left the convention, and others were ready to give up and go home, when Benjamin Franklin suggested beginning each day’s session with prayer, asking for God’s help.
- Franklin’s appeal for prayer mentions several Biblical passages and principles.
- The Constitution combines the best features of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations with additional provisions to deal with man’s sinful nature and to prevent government decay resulting in tyranny.
- The Constitution creates a republic, not a democracy.
- The two principles that have most impacted the longevity of the Constitution are the system of checks and balances between the three branches of government and federalism: the division of power between the national government and the states.
June 1787.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Steamy hot and humid weather.
Independence Hall – then known as the Pennsylvania State House..
Windows closed… curtains drawn… doors locked.
Guards posted outside…
Why?
Because 55 men were meeting in secret.
Dirt was spread across the cobblestone street to muffle the clatter of passing carriages.
What were those 55 men doing inside under such a veil of secrecy?
They were debating and hammering out what has become known as the world’s longest surviving charter of government – the U.S. Constitution.
What is so unique and special about the U.S. Constitution?
Here are 5 important facts you should know:
1. The framers were attempting to overthrow 2,000 years of political theory.
For more than 2,000 years, kings and queens – individual dictators and tyrants – had ruled almost every nation on earth.
Citizens were not free and independent individuals – they were subjects under the authority of the Crown.
Rights were granted by the king or queen.
The rich and the favored had more rights than the poor and the middle class.
Justice also favored the rich and discriminated against the poor and middle class.
There were no “unalienable rights” that applied to everyone.
The framers rejected that form of government.
2. The framers were attempting to create a government based on the self-governance of the individual.
This was a radical shift – an extraordinary experiment in the government of a nation.
Individual self-governance and self-discipline are biblical principles.
When Jesus was asked by a lawyer what was the greatest commandment given by Moses, Jesus said:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)
John Adams – one of the framers and second President of the United States – argued that no legal framework of government could restrain human greed if the general citizenry lacked internal virtue and self-control.
He said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
James Madison – considered to be the father of the Constitution – wrote that it requires “sufficient virtue among men for self-government.”
Otherwise, he stated, “nothing less than the chains of despotism can restrain them from destroying and devouring one another.”
3. The Constitution likely would not have been completed had it not been for a call to daily prayer for God’s guidance.
The delegates had been meeting for about a month and were hopelessly deadlocked – especially over representation in Congress by small states versus large states.
Tensions over representation threatened to dissolve the convention.
Some delegates had already left – others were considering giving up and going back to their home states.
Benjamin Franklin – the oldest delegate at 81 – addressed the impasse:
“Mr. President: The small progress we have made after four or five weeks close attendance and continual reasonings with each other… is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it.
“We have gone back to ancient history for models of government, and examined the different forms of those Republics which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution now no longer exist.
“And we have viewed Modern States all round Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances. In this situation of this Assembly groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings?
“In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the Divine Protection. — Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered…
“To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance.
“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth — that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?
“We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that “except the Lord build the House they labor in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a bye word down to future ages…
“I therefore beg leave to move — that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business…”
Whatever Benjamin Franklin’s religious views were, he appealed to several important Biblical principles and passages:
- The “imperfection of human understanding” – a reference to many verses in Proverbs. One example is Proverbs26:12, “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
- “Groping as it were in the dark” – a reference perhaps to Isaiah 59:9-10, “…we hope for light, but behold, darkness, for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope along the wall like blind men, we grope like those who have no eyes…”
- “Humbly applying to the Father of lights” – a reference to James 1:17.
- “And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice” – a reference to Matthew 10:29.
- “Except the Lord build the House they labor in vain that build it” – a quotation from Psalm 127:1.
- “Without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel” – an obvious reference to Genesis 11:1-9.
4. Although not perfect, the U.S. Constitution is perhaps the greatest charter of government ever written.
The framers incorporated into the Constitution the best of ancient Western political philosophy:
• the idea of separation of powers
• checks and balances to put restraints on the sinful nature of man
• republicanism from Rome and Greece
They were highly educated, drawing upon writers such as Polybius, Cicero and Livy.
They took into account the successes and failures of these civilizations… and they added provisions to try to fix the problems.
In the late 1800s, British Prime Minister William Gladstone observed that America’s Constitution – created in just a few months – was one of the greatest documents ever written.
He stated, “The American Constitution is the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.”
5. The U.S. Constitution establishes the U.S. government as a republic, not a democracy.
Only two small countries existing today can claim to have republics older than that of the United States:
• San Marino – founded in 301 A.D. It’s constitution was formally adopted in 1600.
• Switzerland – a decentralized self-governance since its Federal Charter of1291or 1309.
James Madison was familiar with Greek democracies through the writings of Aristotle, Plato, and Plutarch.
Like Aristotle, Madison viewed pure direct democracy, in which citizens voted on laws, as unstable and vulnerable to mob rule.
The framers viewed a republic as a country without a king – a nation that respects the rule of law and believes government is ultimately responsible to its citizens.
Rob Natelson – senior fellow in constitutional jurisprudence at the Independence Institute and the Mountain States Policy Center – said America’s longevity as a republic is due to two principal reasons:
1. The system of checks and balances, which “prevents any one branch from becoming intolerable and unrestrained.”
2. Federalism – the dividing of powers between the national government and the states.
Federalism “ensures that Americans can differ with each other, but still be reasonably happy, because if they don’t like one state government, they can move to another.”
Natelson adds, “Everything is not controlled from the center.”
Conclusion:
We citizens of America need to become more familiar with the U.S. Constitution.
We need to know and appreciate the differences between a republic and a democracy – and understand why our founders established one rather than the other.
Here’s something to think about:
How many times have you heard Democrats accuse Donald Trump of being “a threat to our republic”?
Not once!
Instead, they accuse him of being “a threat to our democracy.”
Why?
Because they – those making the accusation – don’t want the U.S. to be a constitutional republic.
They want to ignore the Constitution and turn the United States of America into a Democratic State – a country governed by mob rule…
Their mob and their rule.
Donald Trump is a threat to THEIR hope for mob-rule democracy.
What do you think? Email me at [email protected].
Action:
1. Watch the movie, A Great Awakening about the unlikely friendship between evangelist George Whitefield and Benjamin Franklin. You can watch it on digital platforms such as Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV. Click HERE for purchase and other streaming options.
2. Get my book, The Christian Voter: 7 Non-Negotiables for Voting For, Not Against, Your Values. Read Chapter 4 in particular. It covers the first Great Awakening, which occurred in the colonies during the years leading up to the War of Independence. Click HERE to order the book online.
You can order the book on Amazon HERE.
Or get the audiobook version HERE, or on Kindle HERE.
You can also get an autographed edition online HERE or by phone at 615-814-6633 (M-F 10am to 3pm).
You can also send a check for $26.13 (includes shipping) payable to Media Specialists and send it to this address:
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FAQs:
Q: What made the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787 so radical?
A: The framers sought to overthrow over 2,000 years of rule by monarchies and kings, where citizens were subjects and rights were granted (or withheld) by the Crown. Instead, they created a system based on self-government by the people, with unalienable rights and equality before the law, rejecting hereditary rule and class-based justice.
Q: Why was the Constitutional Convention held in secret?
A: The delegates met behind closed doors – with windows shut, curtains drawn, and guards posted – to encourage open and honest debate without outside pressure or public interference. Dirt was even spread on the streets to muffle noise.
Q: What is the core idea behind “self-government by the people”?
A: The Constitution was designed for a system where individuals exercise internal moral virtue and self-discipline, reducing the need for heavy external government control. It shifts power from rulers over the people to governance by the people.
Q: Why did the framers believe the Constitution required a “moral and religious people”?
A: Figures like John Adams and James Madison argued that no external legal framework could successfully restrain human greed, ambition, or factionalism without internal virtue and self-control among citizens. Without sufficient virtue, they believed despotism would become necessary.
Q: What was the crisis that prompted Benjamin Franklin’s prayer speech?
A: After about a month of deliberations in June 1787, the delegates were deadlocked—particularly over representation in Congress of large states vs. small states. Some delegates had already left, and others were ready to quit. Franklin addressed the impasse by calling for daily prayers to seek divine guidance.
Q: What Biblical principles did Franklin reference in his June 28, 1787, speech?
A: Franklin alluded to several passages and ideas, including:
• The imperfection of human wisdom (Proverbs).
• Groping in darkness (Isaiah 59:9-10).
• The “Father of lights” (James 1:17).
• God’s notice of even a sparrow (Matthew 10:29).
• “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1).
• The Tower of Babel as a warning against division without God’s aid (Genesis 11).
Q: What ancient influences shaped the U.S. Constitution?
A: The framers drew on the best features of Greek and Roman civilizations—such as republicanism, separation of powers, and checks and balances—while studying their successes and failures.
Q: Is the United States a democracy or a republic?
A: The framers established a republic, not a pure/direct democracy. They viewed pure democracy as unstable and prone to mob rule – drawing from Aristotle, Plato, and others. A republic emphasizes the rule of law, elected representatives, and accountability to citizens rather than direct voting on all laws.
Q: What two features have most contributed to the Constitution’s longevity?
A: According to constitutional scholar Rob Natelson:
1. Checks and balances among the three branches of government, which prevent any one branch from becoming tyrannical.
2. Federalism — the division of power between the national government and the states, allowing diversity and “voting with your feet” while avoiding total central control.
About Craig Huey:
Craig Huey is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and publisher of The Huey Alert and Direct Marketing Update. Craig appears on national media such as FOX, FOX Business, Newsmax and more. He also co-hosts The Huey Alert Podcast with his wife Shelly and helps business leaders, Christians, conservatives, libertarians, young people and more understand the intersection of faith, politics, and freedom.