Commentary The Declaration of Independence expressed a common American creed: All are born equal before God and the law, God bestows humans with natural rights, some of these rights are unalienable (untransferable), it’s the purpose of government to secure them, and if a government incorrigibly fails to do so, the people should replace it. However, the Declaration didn’t erect a system of government. It was an international law document that (when backed by arms) converted the colonies into new states with their own governments. By 1787, it was clear that the states and their treaty organization, the Articles of Confederation, were unequal to the task of American governance. Accordingly, their legislatures sent commissioners (delegates) to a convention of the states in Philadelphia. We often call those commissioners the Constitution’s framers. Their task was to craft a structure of government that would serve, to the extent possible, the principles of the …