Today is Constitution Day, a holiday which commemorates the anniversary of the day when thirty-nine men signed the greatest governing document in the history of the world. For the first time ever, a government was formed by “We the People” to preserve our rights as given to us by God, not man. It is impossible to overstate how transformative that document was, not only for our history as a nation, but for every nation since. Many have tried to copy elements of our great Constitution, but the original stands as the most perfect, most transformative constitution ever written.
When public servants take the Oath of Office, they swear to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Notice that they do not have to swear allegiance to the president, the Speaker of the House, or any other person. The Founding Fathers knew that no man should be higher than the law, so they set the Constitution as the highest law in the land. Their wisdom has enabled patriots to preserve freedom for the many generations that have come and gone in our history. No matter what challenge our nation has faced, the Constitution has never been destroyed, though many have tried to weaken it.
Sadly, few Americans even remember Constitution Day, and fewer still will do something about it. One great way to celebrate is to read it. Though Congress can’t seem to pass a bill today without killing a whole forest of trees to print it out, the original Constitution is remarkably brief. Most Americans can read the entire document in about half an hour. While I’m afraid we don’t have time on this broadcast to read the entire Constitution aloud, listen to these beautifully crafted words that make up the legendary Preamble to the U.S. Constitution:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
