I, thought.. " ummm No, can't think of anything"
"Mom...its a very important birthday, its the birthday of the of our constitution"
Then I googled, and yes.. Today is Constitution Day. "Wow", I thought- I had no Idea.
It was the summer of 1776 when the framers first met and voted to end our union with Great Britain. Tired of the Tyranny, they elected to declare our independence from King George. Thus the Declaration of Independence was signed. ALso that year the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was created, this is actuly known as the first consititution. The only problem was that the Confederation had no money, it could not pay its troops or any of its debts.
Yesterday NWs class was given the history of that Continental Congress.. many arguments over what would be in this document, and several "sloppy copies" ( as he put it) were written. And finally they all agreed on a final draft.
The sad part about today is that unless you are a historian, or an 8 year old student..you probably were not aware of the importance of today's date. I certainly wasn't.
It's not a National Holiday, there are no fireworks, no back yard bbqs or parades, and certainly no hot dog eating contests.. In fact it probably will not even merit any mention at all on the nightly news.
But yet it is just as important as the Declaration as this is the basis for our government and country.
For me though the most part is the Preamble, so eloquently written:
"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."
All of this was signed 226 years ago today on September 17, 1787.
What I find amazing is our founding fathers signed the D.O.I on July 4th, drafted voted on and signed the Constitution on Sept 17th 1776. Two historic documents in 75 days, give or take. Can you imagine how long it would take now days??
ReplyDeletecorrect.. but after further research and more coffee I learned that it was about 10 years later when the consititution as we know it was formally written and ratified.
DeleteHowever...it is true, because the D.O.I was written, and the "Articles" still two historic documents in the same year...that would be unheard of now.
But, the Confederation ran out of money, they could not pay troops or any of its debts...so that is when in 1787, the Congress met again. to redraft the Articles, and get it right.
The Founding Fathers worked out a good system. But in 200 + years of people chipping away at it to feather their own nests and advance their own agendas, things have sure gone down hill.
ReplyDeleteIt would all be unheard of now.. I shiver at the thought if Todays Congress had to write up a new Constitution....
DeleteDon't worry, it's in the works.
Deletehttp://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/09/16/wait-until-you-see-how-a-high-school-textbook-summarizes-the-rights-granted-in-the-second-amendment/
*sigh* thanks Matt! : )
DeleteJUGM,
ReplyDeleteCongress couldn't write a new Constitution. They can't even read and follow the one we have now, let alone come together for the good of the country, and "Represent" those that sent them.
So true... When the argument was being made about Not bombing the Syrian targets, One of our Senators, Bill Nelson--absolutly was in favor and supportive of the President. Despite, his constiuants flooding his email, and office with phone calls asking him to vote against it..
DeleteOur government is not enforcing or adding to our Constitution. They would rather take away our rights.
ReplyDeleteThe Continental Congress would be rolling in their graves if they knew what our government has been doing.
Our current President and his party, believes that the Constitution is a door mat, and stands in his way of the Liberal Agenda and Him having a third term.
DeleteI know and it truly bothers me.
DeleteIf the government would simply follow the Constitution all would be well with no need to "fix" it anyway.
ReplyDeleteThey never should have removed the requirement of owning land to be able to vote. The course was set for where we are today at that point. A republic can only work when the people have skin in the game otherwise it turns into mob rule and the minorities whether they are smokers, drinkers, landowners or whatever end up being sacrificed one after the other.
The land requirement, and also in the 70s when Nixon took us off the Gold standard.
DeleteIn 1786 in Thomas Paines "Dissertations on Government" he wrote :
Gold and silver are the emissions of nature: paper is the emission of art. The value of gold and silver is ascertained by the quantity which nature has made in the earth. We cannot make that quantity more or less than it is, and therefore the value being dependent upon the quantity, depends not on man. …
“Paper, considered as a material whereof to make money, has none of the requisite qualities in it. It is too plentiful, and too easily come at. It can be had anywhere, and for a trifle.
…
“Money, when considered as the fruit of many years' industry, as the reward of labor, sweat and toil, as the widow's dowry and children's portion, and as the means of procuring the necessaries and alleviating the afflictions of life, and making old age a scene of rest, has something in it sacred that is not to be sported with, or trusted to the airy bubble of paper currency.”
If only our government could accomplish anything at all in a timely fashion. :-)
ReplyDeleteThen that would be a wonderful thing Ms. Beth... : )
Delete