Another September is upon us. Football is going strong; kids are back in school and many are looking forward to the cooler temperatures of fall. And let us not forget the horrific events of Sept. 11.
I hope everyone is also paying attention to Sept. 17. This is Constitution Day. It was on this day in 1787 the Constitutional Convention finally completed the new Constitution minus the Amendments. Shortly afterward, the Constitution was sent to the 13 states for ratification. After the ninth state, New Hampshire, ratified the Constitution, it became the framework of our nation’s government on June 21,1788.
However, the Constitution was not without controversy. The United States was born on July 4, 1776. The Declaration of Independence formed 13 independent states acting on their interest. In 1777, Congress passed the Articles of Confederation in hopes of organizing a centralized national government. However, the Articles proved to be ineffective. So, in May 1787, the states formed a Constitutional Convention to address those flaws. The 13 states identified 70 delegates, but only 55 attended. George Washington was elected president of the convention.
The delegates could not agree on much. After four or five weeks, a frustrated Benjamin Franklin made a critical motivational speech which included the following excerpt: “In this situation of this Assembly groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings?”
After taking a break, the Delegates set down to business and on Sept. 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was born. Of the 55 delegates, only 39 signed the document. Sixteen refused to sign because they thought a powerful central government would threaten individual liberties and overpower the states’ authority. They demanded the addition of a Bill of Rights to keep the federal government in check. The leaders of the convention like James Madison said a Bill of Rights was not necessary because the federal government could not make any laws except in the enumerated powers written in the Constitution. It did not give the federal government authority to have any say in such issues as religion and speech. But the 39 signatures were enough for it to pass through Congress and it was sent to the states for ratification. While the Constitution was ratified fairly quickly (about nine months), the states had done so only with a promise that the newly formed government would add a Bill of Rights. In September 1789 the First Congress proposed 12 amendments, but during the ratification process only 10 became the Bill of Rights.
The first chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Jay, said, “Every member of the State ought diligently to read and to study the constitution and teach the rising generation to be free. By knowing their rights, they will sooner perceive when they are violated, and be the better prepared to defend and assert them.” In 1956, Title 36 of the U.S. Code was updated to add Constitution Day to the patriotic and national observances. It mandated “the civil and educational authorities of States, counties, cities and towns are urged to make plans for the proper observance of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day and for the complete instructions of citizens in the their responsibilities and opportunities as citizens of the United States and of the States and locality in which they reside.”
The United States was founded upon new ideas in the world, such as liberties are God-given and unchangeable; truth is self-evident; citizens are the true authority in the society and “We the People” are the owners of the government with elected officials as the servants. Those principles are either unknown by current citizens or intentionally ignored to satisfy personnel ambitions.
The Constitution serves as the “owner’s manual” for “We the People,” and I encourage everyone to take time to read it. Don’t forget, to fully understand the Constitution one must also read the Declaration of Independence.
If you want to have a deeper understanding, you do not have to be a lawyer. There are many resources online that explain the ideas set forth in the Constitution. If you won't “own” it, someone else will gladly take over for you, and replace your opinions with theirs. Hope you have a great Constitution Day.
Richard Culliver of Columbia may be reached at richardculliver55@gmail.com.
