2024 | Week of September 16 | Radio Transcript #1584
September 17 marks Constitution Day in the United States, commemorating the day in 1787 that 39 of our nation’s Founding Fathers officially signed that treasured document on the final day of the Constitutional Convention.
The Constitution, with its famous opening salvo, “We the People of the United States,” includes seven Articles and twenty-seven amendments and establishes the rule of law in our nation.
Arriving at a document that 39 out of 55 state delegates could agree on was no simple task, but our nation’s leaders knew the fate of the country was at stake. Fail to reach an agreement, and the hard-fought, costly war against Great Britain and its monarchy would be in vain.
George Washington’s Mount Vernon organization website notes that there were five main conflicts that had to be resolved during the Constitutional Convention.
One: representation. Less populated states were concerned that they would be inadequately represented if population size were the only metric. As a result, “The Great Compromise” was reached, resulting in our system of Congress which still endures today. State representation in the House of Representatives is determined by population, while each state gets an equal number of two senators in the Senate.
Two: the tension between state and federal authority. The federal government needed enough power to truly govern the nation and keep it united, but delegates were also weary of a too-powerful central government. Therefore, specific powers were expressly granted to Congress, laid out mostly in Article I, Section 8. All other powers would default to the state governments.
Three: the extent of the executive branch. After fighting a war against a king, the delegates debated about how much power the nation’s president should have.
Four: slavery. Many delegates despised the institution of slavery on ethical and moral grounds. Yet there were some delegates who wanted the slaves in their states to count towards the population that determined state representation, even though these slaves did not hold equal rights. The Convention delegates ultimately agreed that after 20 years, Congress could choose to ban the import of slaves. In 1808, international slave trading was formally prohibited.
And, five: commerce. Without the Constitution, states were competing against each other with different currencies. The Constitution allowed Congress to unite the national economy.
The Constitution was essential for establishing the United States as the “Great Experiment” in liberty and freedom with the formation of a constitutional republic, yet its value is questioned by many today.
Leftists have tried to chip away at the Constitution. From a legal perspective, some assert that the Constitution is meant to be “living” and “breathing” — changing with the winds of time. That is certainly not how the Founding Fathers intended it to be viewed or construed.
Recently, a New York Times article caused a stir with its headline: “The Constitution Is Sacred. Is It Also Dangerous?” The subtitle reads: “One of the biggest threats to America’s politics might be the country’s founding document.” The author then, in an odd way, tries to make the argument that ultimately, conservatives, through the system the Constitution established, are a threat to the future of the nation, using the overturning of Roe v. Wade as a supposed example.
Citing the work of Erwin Chemerinsky, well-known in the legal and academic world, the author argues, quote, “in suggesting that the Constitution could hasten the end of American democracy, Chemerinsky is far from alone. The argument that what ails the country’s politics isn’t simply the president, or Congress, or the Supreme Court, but the founding document that presides over all three, has been gaining traction, especially among liberals.”
This is why it is absolutely essential that we educate the next generation on what the Constitution is, what it says and means, and why it should be aggressively protected. This education must start with our own children and grandchildren, but it cannot stop there. Schools must also assume such responsibility—or be required by state law to teach real civics.
In this week of celebrating our Constitution, let’s honor our nation’s founding by committing to helping further the education of the next generation, whether that be by personally teaching young people around us, running for a school board seat, or contacting our state legislators to let them know that true civics need to be taught in our schools. The rule of law in this country depends on it.
For Wisconsin Family Council, this is Julaine Appling, reminding you that God, through the Prophet Hosea, said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
