The turmoil and social unrest that we face in our nation today demands that we find peaceful solutions and answers to everyone’s concerns. The horrific pandemic and the recognition that our society must end bias and racism are fueling these demands for change. Some of our answers may be found looking back at the history of our Constitution.

When I was an American History teacher in the 1980s, my class participated in the Bicentennial Competition celebrating the 200th anniversary of our Constitution. Students did an in-depth study of the Constitution in preparation for competing at the district and state competitions.

The research started with some of the ideas, philosophies and background that the writers of this great document used in creating it. A basic premise came from the Greek and Roman experiments in early democracies and the establishment of legislative bodies. The philosophies of John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes also contributed greatly.

Using these ideas, our forefathers developed the concept that any constitutional government must come from the idea that a “social contract” must exist between the government and the people it represents. In the agreement, the people agree to follow the rules established by the government. These rules are usually called “laws.” Laws help to make sure that people have rights and that these rights are protected. It also includes the idea that individual rights are limited so as not to infringe on the rights of others. The social contract in our Constitution says how decisions are made and sets limits on the powers of leaders and other people who have authority.

In addition, our forefathers brilliantly established a government of three branches that have the power to limit the authority of each other. If we do not rebalance those powers and restore the balance of power between the branches, we will probably go down the road to authoritarianism and thus anarchy.

While our forefathers could never have envisioned today's world, they had the enlightened foresight to create in our Constitution the ability to adapt and change, and we must look to it for guidance through these perilous times. We have lost our concept of the social contract. We, as the people, must follow the rules of government to get through these troubling times. Our survival may depend on it. We must acknowledge that certain freedoms and liberties may be limited as part of our social contract. For instance, wearing masks, while not convenient, must be done for the good of all. Your life and my life may depend on it.

In turn, the government must also acknowledge its huge responsibility to fulfill its part of the contract. Our leaders must become apolitical, do what is good for the people, not the political party or the privileged few. With the current economic facts just published, they must recognize extraordinary measures must be taken to ensure our economic survival. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt invoked such strategies to lead us out of the Great Depression. Our society is demanding drastic changes in the way the government works to promote the interests and welfare of all the people, not just the wealthy and privileged.

We must also come to terms with establishing a society where no person should fear anyone in authority, and our leaders recognize their roles in fulfilling the social contract implicit in our Constitution.

Remember that George Washington and others feared the formation of “factions,” which are political parties that would work to satisfy their own narrow self-interests. These factions would be unwilling to compromise and pass laws that would benefit all citizens. Now more than ever, we need political leaders who are willing to find compromise and develop laws that help all people.

The men who wrote the Constitution used tremendous insight and thought. We need to remember and apply some of these basic principles to help find solutions to our problems today. Science is making great strides toward solving the pandemic problem, and we could see a viable vaccine by the end of the year. Now, we the people, together with our government, must exercise our social contract to solve the horrific social unrest and economic problems that we currently face. If we are to survive, we can no longer afford to be a divided nation. We must look to our own Constitution to become a united nation again.

Robert Bacewicz is a former principal of Fitch High School in Groton, now retired. He lives in Ledyard.