On this day 228 years ago, after four months of deliberation and compromise, a group of men gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to sign their names to a document that would usher in an never-before-seen style of governing. The United States Constitution was based on the people and the philosophy that government came from the people. Echoing through those words are the philosophies of some great men in history including John Locke and Sir Edward Coke.
It takes less than 8 minutes to read the original Constitution (slightly more if you add the amendments). Not everyone may agree on how to interpret the Constitution, and those debates over its meaning rage on even today. But please never lose sight of the fact that those disagreements and different views allow the Constitution to continually remain a document that is as remarkable and applicable today as it was all those years ago.
As we celebrate Constitution Day, spend a few moments reading the document that enshrines the United State's freedoms and system of government and reflect on how 228 years later it still guides and protects this nation – as Lincoln put it – "of the people, by the people, and for the people."
Happy Constitution Day!