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Health & Fitness

It's Constitution Week

Did you know Constitution Week is September 17-23? Yep, on the same week every year our country honors our Constitution. The problem is, very few people know there is a Constitution Week.  Admit it, you were one of them. But no worries, so was I until just a couple of years ago.  It wasn’t until I joined the Daughters of the American Revolution that I came to understand the importance of this week.

 

Just so we are all on the same page…

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On September 3, 1783 the Treaty of Paris was signed, officially ending the Revolutionary War. The thirteen colonies had won their independence but were functioning as though they were separate countries. The United States was operating under the Articles of Confederation. With this new political system each state had it’s own currency making open trade and federal taxation nearly impossible. For years not one state paid all of its federal taxes and in fact, many states did not pay any taxes at all.  

 

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By 1786 the federal government was broke. It was apparent something had to change. On May 25, 1787 twelve of the thirteen states sent delegates to Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention. They agreed a stronger government had to replace the weaker Articles of Confederation. On September 17, 1787 representatives of twelve states signed the United States Constitution and although the ratification was a long process, eventually all 13 states approved the constitution. And to this day it still begins with,

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, 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."

 

But why does it matter?

The colonists sacrificed, fought, and died in order to establish the freedoms the Constitution grants us. Through their hard work a Constitution was drafted that has endured longer than any other constitution in the world, for 230 years! Not only that, but many other countries have used our Constitution as a model when drafting their own.

 

Ok, I Get It.  But What Can I Do?

The best thing you can do is study our Constitution!  You can find it right here: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

 

Did you know the only place in the Constitution “Lord” or any reference to God is mentioned is where the date is written, “Seventeenth Day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven”?

 

Did you know “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” and “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” are not in the Constitution, but both are in the Declaration of Independence?

 

Lastly, “Of the people, by the people, for the people” is neither in the Constitution nor the Declaration, but comes from the Gettysburg Address.

 

Study the Constitution because in the words of U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, "…it is both the foundation and the guardian of our liberties. Study it also with the knowledge that as strong and enduring as our Constitution has been, it is nevertheless a fragile, almost intangible thing that cannot survive without the dedication and constant support of citizens."


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