Once Americans declared their independence from Great Britain and had their own country, they needed to create a new form of government. Americans didn’t want the same kind of government they had when they were part of Great Britain. Instead, they wanted a government that was run directly by the people, not a king. But everyone in America had different ideas about what the government should do and how it should work, so Americans needed to compromise to create a system of government that benefited everyone. This new form of government needed to balance order—which limits what we can and cannot do—and liberty—which allows people to live as they want to.