The ConstitutionWho Do You Trust?

From a noted scholar on the Constitution…

“The fundamental characteristic of the Constitution is distrust. The Constitution was, in fact, borne of distrust: distrust of democracy, distrust of popularly-elected legislatures, and

distrust of the public. This distrust is best seen in the electoral system that keeps the public at arm’s length and in

the system of checks in which the popularly-elected House of Representatives is severely constrained by the Senate as well

as the other branches of government.”

Why would the Founders distrust…

•democracy?•popularly-elected legislatures?•The public?

Democracy

The Founders

How do the following prove the Founders’ distrust?

•The electoral system• the system of checks that

allows the Senate to constrain the House of Representatives

Sooo….do you agree?Is the Constitution an instrument of distrust?

•Who didn’t the framers trust?•Do we have similar beliefs

today?•Do you trust Americans to make

good decisions? Why or why not?

• If you don’t trust Americans…what can be done?