The Boarding School

Patriot's Club

Katelyn Stone

"The Declaration of Independence," Katelyn pulled up a PDF on her laptop, "has anyone read it?" The group of twelve kids, ages ranging from nine to thirteen, shook their heads.

"I have," muttered Luke to Hugh. The two sat on Katelyn's bed, while she sat on the floor surrounded by the students. Damien lounged in on the bench at the foot of the bed, drinking coffee and trying to read a book. Instead he found himself distracted by Katelyn's activity. Even Hugh paid attention.

"I know how it begins," Daniel remarked.

"Go ahead, Daniel," invited Katelyn.

"

'When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people...' 

That's all I remember," he said grimly.

"

'-it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another.'

" Katelyn finished. "What form of government is the United States?" Karina raised her hand. Katelyn nodded at her.

"We are a democracy."

Katelyn noticed Luke shake his head slightly. "Not quite. Luke, why don't you tell us?"

Hugh looked at Luke curiously. Luke, himself, seemed surprised, but replied, "We were a constitutional republic."

"And that means?"

"Well, democracy is majority rules, but in a constitutional republic, we vote for people to represent us in the senate and representatives. To put it simply, these people are chosen by the majority of their states - it's a bit more complicated depending on the state. The biggest difference between a democracy and a constitutional republic is that one gives all the power to the majority, while the other secures the rights of the individual. Under a constitutional republic, there are rights given to individuals that the majority aren't allowed to take away."

"Wait, we aren't a democracy?" one of the kids asked.

"No and that's important," Katelyn rejoined, "If we were a democracy, the rights of minorities would not be protected. Say that you live in a community where you have a skill no one else has. Now say you make a good living by charging them a certain amount for your skill, but they get together and decide they don't want to pay you that much anymore, so they vote and make a rule that you can't charge more than a certain amount. So now, everyone has access to your skills and you are able to live, but maybe not as comfortably. Seems fair?" The kids shrugged. "Now, say they decide they don't want to pay you at all, so they say, hey, let's vote. You have to provide your skill for us, and we'll give you some clothes and food - just enough you can survive. And they vote and majority wins. Does that seem fair?" They shook their heads. "But you have food and clothes, neither of which you get to choose for yourself, but the majority votes and will choose what you get. There are a lot of people starving in other countries. Why are you complaining? The majority voted. And they voted for this. You agreed to obey the laws of democracy, so you can't fight back."

"But - but that's not fair," Karina ventured.

"Its none of their business," muttered Hugh to Luke, rolling his eyes, "If a man wants to charge for his skill, don't see what anyone has to say about it."

"Let me read another excerpt from the Declaration," Katelyn offered, "

'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it...'