The Dependence of the Declaration and Constitution

If you are looking for a quick, easy, soothing read, then The Founder’s Key, by Larry P. Arnn, is not the book for you. Dr. Arnn, the president of Hillsdale College, has produced an in-depth, philosophical, and succinct explanation of what has happened in modern America. He boldly and courageously attacks the tenets of modern liberalism and exposes some of its foundational flaws. This work is not so much an attempt to define or defend conservative thought but it blasts the underpinnings of its opposite.

The thesis of the book advances the notion that, contrary to popular belief, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are greatly related. Current constitutional thought declares that the former document is liberal and the latter is conservative. Supposedly, the Declaration of Independence, authored by Jefferson, espoused freedom and cast a wide net for rights while the Constitution, authored by Madison, promoted restraint and limitation of powers. The two are not mutually exclusive as taught in most American colleges and universities.

The congruity between the documents is what Dr. Arnn calls the “founder’s key.” I do not want to spoil the revelation of that key, so I will turn to a grand quote in the conclusion: “The central precepts of the American government are found in the Declaration of Independence, and they encompass the inseparable conceptions of nature, equality, rights, and consent….Constitutional rule operates in service of these principles” (119). There, in two sentences, Dr. Arnn destroys one of the pillars of progressivism.

After he has completed the aforementioned analysis, he then provides the reader immediate access to these documents – the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. Then, he has carefully selected works from The Federalist Papers that continues to show the congruity between these two documents and the founding fathers. Therein, though, is my only complaint – he should have spent more time developing these ideas rather than just 130 pages. He did an admirable job in those pages; however, the topic is just too important. I hope he writes sequel and continues this work.

To return to these Declaration and Constitution principles, it is incumbent upon citizens to know and exercise the rights that we have been graciously given. The Founder’s Key is deep, thought-provoking, and intellectually stimulating. As a former history teacher, these are the works that I passionately love.



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