Around 1800 a study was made on education in America that concluded, "Most young Americans .. . can read, write and cipher. Not more than four in a thousand are unable to write legibly — even neatly.” This high rate of literacy was a direct result of the religions leaders placing a strong emphasis upon the importance of being able to read the Bible. There were no public schools at this time. Because of their knowledge of history, secular and religious, the Founding Fathers had a profound faith in Divine Providence and a strong distrust in government. Thus, they set out to establish a system of government that would set men free to work out their own destiny by binding rulers down "with the chains of the binding rulers Constitution." rulers down "with the chains The United States Constitution was not something hammered out over night, but was carefully written after much consideration and debate. The war with Britain ended on October 19, 1781, but the Constitution was not ratified until June 1788. Two years later, December 1791, the Bill of Rights was adopted. To understand better the events leading up to the founding of the American Republic, and why the Founding Fathers gave us the kind of government they did, it will be helpful to examine the Old World View of man and government. This view was largely a fatalistic view that the individual is helpless to determine his destiny, that he is 59 The American Republic