"If men were angels, no government would be necessary." ~James Madison

The Founding Fathers. Who were they? Yes, I am sure that we could name a few: Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and the ever popular George Washington. But, who were these men? Throughout these past weeks, I have learned that they were visionaries, philosophers, lawyers, and even scientists. Men, who took upon them the great task of framing the American government into what it is today. Not an easy task.

They started simply with a sheet of paper. A specific paper to be exact: The United States Constitution. This piece of paper, this document, is the foundation of our countries government. We have fallowed this little baby through thick and thin. And, when we wanted to change it, by George (excuse the pun) we tried. I have to admit the Constitution is brilliant and I am thankful that our country and these Founding Framers developed it. As I learned in these past weeks, the document keeps the government in check. The president, the senate, the congress, the people of this nation all have to report to this document. In essence, it established a check and balance system which separates power into three branches: Legislative, Judicial, and Executive. Each branch has their own number of jobs which may or may not limit the other two branches. The Framers knew that mankind was not the most trustworthy to hold the fate of the country; at the same time, they wanted mankind, all of mankind, to be represented. The Framers found the checks and balance system to be the best way. And, to this day its still working. I think its safe to say that they were pretty right.

But, there's something contradictory to it, am I right? These men knew that mankind was not to be trusted. Well, then why in the hell are we trusting these Framers? Who died and made them the ones who knew it all? I am not calling our Founding Fathers dumb. I am simply pointing out that their is a flaw in their philosophy. Now, don't think I'm stupid. I keep in mind the fact that they all, hopefully, kept each other in check, compromising when necessary and, deciding for the greater good. And, if the government has taken us this far in time with not much inner turmoil, I think it works pretty well. I am just astounded by how much trust our government puts in human beings. Humans who make mistakes all the time are trusted to debate and make major decisions. I guess that is true for every government. But, what is so amazing about our government is how much we want everyone to be represented. In essence, its what makes America great. We all have a say. I hate to sound like a yuppy patriot but, there are so many countries who look to us as a free country. Yes, we have our issues, but we are a welcoming nation. We should be proud of that.

So, who are these framers? They are America. They are woven into this country's history, government, people and life. They are the ones who helped us grow and kept us in check when things got bumpy. They built this nation with their own two hands just so we could live freely. And, with that in mind, I think its safe to say: they are the ideal American Dad.