The Founders Key: The Divine and Natural Connection Between the Declaration and the Constitution and What We Risk by Losing It [Hardcover]

The President of Hillsdale College, Larry Arnn, has issued this short book (123 pages plus 93 pages of foundational readings) to explain the connection between the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution.

Recently, a number of authors have argued that the Declaration and Constitution are opposed to each other. The Declaration states that all are created equal, whereas the Constitution protects the institution of slavery. Dr. Arnn provides a detailed explanation of this seeming contradiction, noting that, among other indications, the following actions showed that the Founders were (at most) reluctant supporters of slavery:

1. George Washington did not abuse his slaves, and he took steps to ensure that they would be freed upon his death.
2. The Founders limited and eventually outlawed the importation of slaves from abroad.
3. They abolished slavery in a majority of the original states.
4. And, they forbade the expansion of slavery into areas where it had not been originally permitted.

The most critical part of this book is the author's discussion of what amounts to a fourth branch of the federal government: the Administrative State. The various Departments in Washington, DC, amount to an unelected, unaccountable government that has absolute power which, according to Lord Acton, "tends to corrupt absolutely." Dr. Arnn does not hold out any hope for a rapid dissolution of this growing bureaucratic arm of the State, but he does provide guidelines for bringing it under the control of the governed.

James Madison, writing in Federalist Paper Number 62, stated that "It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man, who knows what the law is to-day, can guess what it will be to-morrow. Law is defined to be a rule of action; but how can that be a rule, which is little known, and less fixed?"

The income tax code, health care reform, financial reform, etc. are so complex that literally no ordinary citizen can comprehend them. We can thank the Fourth Branch of government for these labyrinthine gems. The Regulatory System cannot be rolled back overnight, but when we are sliding toward a cliff we should at least turn off the engine and/or apply the brakes. Arnn shows the way to begin this process; not to do so is to take a risk that we cannot afford to take.

In The Founder's Key, Dr. Arnn discusses the interrelatedness of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. A great many people know the first words of the Declaration, but fail to read the middle paragraphs. This is where Jefferson and the other formulators of the Declaration set forth the reasons for the break with Great Britain. In these paragraphs they set out the concepts of separation of powers, representation and the limited scope of government that formed the basis of the Constitution. The men who authored the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were under no illusions that men are not angels. Men have passions and desires that keep them from always espousing the noblest course. Therefore, the government to be fair to everyone must have a set of restraints that keep the branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial from individually usurping the power that is allocated to all three.

This is a very readable book, one that everyone interested in the issues of government should read. Dr. Arnn does an excellent job of presenting material from source documents: the Declaration, Constitution, and Federalist Papers. He also includes these source documents in the book. You don't have to take his word for what is being said. You can read it for yourself.

He makes a particularly good case for the problems with the encroaching bureaucracy we find ourselves enmeshed in today. The bureaucracy has no system of checks and balances. They make the rules, administer them and judge them. This is a prescription for abuse of power, particularly since the people who work in the bureaucracy are not angels. They are people with their own set of premises and desires that have not received the consent of governed.

I highly recommend this book. Whether you agree with his premises or not, you will at least have an understanding of what they source documents say and not be led astray by spurious reasoning. Knowing what is contained in the material will set you free to form your own opinions.

I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze Program.

The President of Hillsdale College, Dr. Larry Arnn, has written a fairly compelling case for the unity of the Declaration and the Constitution. In his recent book, The Founder's Key he warns of the threat each document is under from the modern Progressive movement embodied by much of the Democratic left.

In brief his argument is that the Declaration admits our certain "inalienable rights" but that it is the Constitution that guarantees them. Throughout the course of this short book Arnn gives a succinct history of each founding document and the 29th century attempts to separate them and therefore lessen their reach.

One of his main themes is that the current political landscape has created a de facto fourth branch of government: the bureaucracy. The reliance on this unelected, and therefore unchecked,fourth branch of government has created a movement away from then framers true intents.

While The Founder's Key is not an easy read, the history is accurate, the points solid and the argument is a valid one.

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