In most other nations in 1787, the government was the master of the people. The government held all the power. Even today, many governments are still the masters of their people. People living under these governments have very few of the rights we have. The Framers knew when they created our government that they faced a difficult problem.

They wanted to create a stronger national government. But, they also worried about creating a government with too much power. A government with too much power might become our master instead of our servant.

Try to imagine how you would solve this problem if you were one of the Framers. Suppose you were creating a new government for our country. You know you have to give the government power over your life, liberty, and property. You are afraid of giving the government so much power.

How can you plan your government so it will remain the servant of the people? How can you organize it so that its powers will be limited and it will not become your master? In this unit, you will learn how the Framers solved this problem.