Rule of Law - Even Presidents Are Subject to the Law

One of the key things advanced (but not invented) by the American Revolution was this notion of rule of law. Francis Fukuyama defines this as “a set of rules of behavior, reflecting a broad consensus within the society, that is binding on even the most powerful political actors in the society, whether kings, presidents, or prime ministers. If rulers can change the law to suit themselves, the rule of law does not exist, even if those laws are applied uniformly to the rest of society.” The founding fathers did invent the position of president and unlike kings from earlier times, even a president could be arrested in this new democracy.