Two hundred and twenty one years ago today a group of men, thirty-nine in all, met in Philadelphia and came to an agreement. That's reason enough to shut down the banks and call it a holiday right there. Get that many Baptists to agree on something... We already had a confederal government. This document though would spell out and set up the working order for a brand new, more centralized way of doing government on a national level. So, sometime that Monday, the US Constitution, minus the twenty-seven amendments we know today, was signed, but not necessarily sealed.
Getting nearly forty guys to come to terms on something so complex took about four months of serious give and take. Now the task was convincing at least nine of the thirteen states to go along. When New Hampshire signed off on June 21st, 1788 the deal was done. Eventually all the states agreed of course, with Rhode Island finally joining the rest of the country in May of 1790. Understand too that they were the only state to decline the invitation to Philly about two and a half years earlier. Since they didn't offer any constitutional input, they weren't sure they even had a dog in this fight.
Something else very interesting: If a state chose not to ratify, they didn't have to belong to the Union. They could be their own little nation in the middle of a nation. Wouldn't that be awkward and all?!
Hindsight being what it is, there were some obvious flaws in the original plan. Thus all the eventual amendments. Initially, slavery was tolerated, even promoted, and according to the original thinkers, some people weren't even considered completely human - just slightly over half a person. As genius as they were, they were not infallible or even without prejudices. But they were men willing to sacrifice and lead. They were forward thinkers who knew that not everyone would appreciate their ideas. That is admirable.
So, today we celebrate the world's oldest federal constitution. Those of us who enjoy the freedoms and liberties that our founding fathers worked to establish, either originally or eventually, should be grateful and humbled. Personally, I think there's more work to be done. I'm certain there will be a variety of ideas and deeply held convictions that will always keep us from a unanimous understanding. But maybe that's not a bad thing. Remember the quote, "If two people always agree on everything, one of them is not necessary."
I hope at the very least we listen while the other guy talks and do our best to keep the conversation intelligent. There's still so much to learn.
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Today is also Citizenship Day. It is a day set aside to "recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.” I have friends who were born somewhere else in the world, but have recently become citizens of the United States. They now vote and get involved in the process of government and community. They can't understand why so many life-long Americans don't. Frankly, neither do I.
1 comment:
Our new citizens put some of our older citizens to shame. It seems they appreciate their new freedoms more than those who have always had them. Go figure.
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