Constitution Day

Constitution Day

Nearly every American knows the Declaration of Independence is dated July 4, 1776. Less well-known is that the United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. This September marks the 219th anniversary of this great historical event, making our Constitution the longest-lived written Constitution in history.

In 1952 President Harry Truman signed a bill establishing September 17th as Citizenship Day. Also that year an Ohio resident, Olga Weber, successfully persuaded Louisville, Ohio Mayor Gerald Romary to proclaim September 17, 1952 as Constitution Day. Her efforts continued to the state level and influenced Governor Frank Lausche to designate September 17th as Constitution Day state-wide. Ms. Weber then urged action at the federal level. On August 2, 1956 Congress passed a joint resolution that requested the president to proclaim the week of September 17-23 as "Constitution Week." In 2004 I voted for a bill (H.R. 4818) that designated September 17th as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. It encourages all public education institutions to increase awareness of this great historical milestone.

On May 14, 1787, 55 delegates assembled at the old Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, for the purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation. The diverse group of delegates represented 12 of the 13 states (Rhode Island didn't send any representatives). George Washington presided over the convention. At 81 years-old, the world-famous and wise Pennsylvanian, Benjamin Franklin, was the oldest delegate. Of particular interest to Ohioans is a delegate from New Jersey, Jonathan Dayton, the man for whom the City of Dayton is named. At age, 26 Dayton was the youngest delegate.

Philadelphia's summer of 1787 was one of the hottest in years. However, all deliberations proceeded in secret with the windows of Independence Hall closed and the heavy drapes drawn, so that those outside could not hear what was being said. Delegates were also forbidden to leak the proceedings to the public.

The delegates quickly realized the Articles of Confederation were beyond repair that the United States needed a completely new government structure. By June 13, 1787, the Founders agreed that the new government should consist of three distinct branches (legislative, judicial, and executive) and that the legislature should consist of two sovereign bodies.

As originally written, the Constitution is only four handwritten pages long. The genius of the document is that it created a government strong enough to unite the states yet flexible enough to enable states to govern themselves. The Constitution established our nation's government with these well-known words: "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."

After delegates signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787, nine states were required to ratify the Constitution before it took effect. Ratification of the new Constitution was not certain and required tremendous work by the Founders. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay composed the Federalist Papers which were printed in newspapers to encourage ratification of the Constitution. The Federalist papers presented strong reasons to support the Constitution and even today remain among the best insight into the thoughts of the Founding Fathers on the Constitution. James Madison, known as the "Father of the Constitution," took detailed daily notes in a journal. His memoirs were finally published in the 1830s, after most of the people present at the convention had passed away. They are considered the definitive account of the Constitutional Convention.

On December 3, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to accept the Constitution. The Constitution became the law of the land in March 1789 and George Washington became our first president the following month. Since then our Constitution has been amended a total of only 27 times. The first 10 were adopted as a block in September 1789 and eleven states ratified them by 1791. These amendments are known as the Bill of Rights and specifically protect some of our most basic, fundamental, and precious rights, including religious freedom and freedom of speech.

The Constitution is a powerful document that all Americans should read. My office has complimentary pocket-sized editions available to residents of the District. If you would like to receive a copy, I encourage you to visit my website at www.house.gov/miketurner .

http://www.house.gov/miketurner/news/columns/9.15.06.shtml