Our Constitution works; our great republic is a government of

The words of Gerald R. Ford stand as a solemn hymn to the endurance of a nation’s soul: “Our Constitution works; our great republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here, the people rule.” They were spoken at a time of turmoil, when faith in leadership trembled and the pillars of government seemed to waver. Ford uttered them in the aftermath of Watergate, when the American people had watched their highest office shadowed by corruption and deceit. Yet even in that dark hour, his voice rose not in despair but in faith—in the quiet, steadfast belief that the foundation of the republic, built upon law, justice, and the will of the people, would not fail.

These words, simple yet thunderous, echo a truth as old as the republic itself: that the greatness of a nation lies not in the power of its rulers but in the strength of its institutions and the virtue of its citizens. The ancients once believed that kings ruled by divine right; their word was law, their will unchallenged. But in this new order of liberty, born upon American soil, the law itself became the highest authority. No man, however mighty, was to stand above it. To say “a government of laws and not of men” is to declare that justice, not ambition, must guide the destiny of a people. It is to remind every generation that the rule of law is not merely a structure—it is the very heartbeat of freedom.

When Ford spoke these words in 1974, the nation stood wounded, its trust shaken. A president had resigned in disgrace—the first in its history—and many feared the fabric of democracy was torn beyond repair. Yet Ford’s calm declaration that “Our Constitution works” was not mere optimism; it was a reaffirmation of faith in the system itself. The courts had acted. Congress had investigated. The truth had been brought to light—not by swords or riots, but by process, by the steady machinery of law. Thus, the republic proved its strength not in perfection, but in endurance. It survived because its power came not from one man, but from the people who consent to be governed.

Consider, too, the lesson of ancient Athens, where democracy was first born. There, too, the people ruled—but when they forgot the sanctity of law, when emotion overtook reason and demagogues whispered in their ears, their republic fell. The difference between chaos and liberty is not passion—it is principle. Laws are the chains that bind tyranny and the scaffolds that lift freedom. When they are honored, a people stand tall; when they are broken, even empires crumble into dust.

So let this teaching be carved upon the hearts of all who hear it: freedom without law becomes anarchy, and law without freedom becomes oppression. The wise balance between these forces is the true art of self-government. The Constitution, that sacred document, is not a relic to be admired—it is a living covenant, demanding vigilance, integrity, and courage from every generation. It does not work by itself; it works because the people guard it, study it, and hold their leaders accountable to it.

To the citizens of today and tomorrow, Ford’s words call out like a trumpet in the night: “Here, the people rule.” Not kings. Not parties. Not wealth nor fame. The people—ordinary and extraordinary alike—are the sovereigns of the republic. When they forget their power, corruption grows; when they wield it wisely, justice thrives. Thus, the fate of the nation is not sealed by the ink of the Constitution alone, but by the virtue of those who live under it.

Therefore, let each man and woman take up their sacred duty. Know the law. Defend the truth. Speak when silence breeds injustice. For the strength of a nation is not found in marble halls or gilded domes, but in the conscience of its people. Remember always: a republic is not inherited—it is earned, day by day, by those who choose to be free. And when doubt or division arises, return to Ford’s words, as one might return to an ancient oracle: “Our Constitution works.” It works because the people rule—and so long as they do, the flame of liberty shall never die.