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, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
230 years ago today the Unites States Constitution was signed and sent out to the 13 states for ratification.
The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. The Constitution, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government. Its first three articles entrench the doctrine of the separation of powers, whereby the federal government is divided into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress; the executive, consisting of the President; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. Articles Four, Five and Six entrench concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments and of the states in relationship to the federal government. Article Seven establishes the procedure subsequently used by the thirteen States to ratify it… Of the thirty-nine signers, Benjamin Franklin summed up, addressing the Convention: “There are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them.” He would accept the Constitution, “because I expect no better and because I am not sure that it is not the best”…
Since the Constitution came into force in 1789, it has been amended twenty-seven time to meet the changing needs of a nation now profoundly different from the eighteenth-century world in which its creators lived. In general, the first ten amendments, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, offer specific protections of individual liberty and justice and place restrictions on the powers of government. The majority of the seventeen later amendments expand individual civil rights protections. Others address issues related to federal authority or modify government processes and procedures. wiki
The United States Constitution was:
– Created on September 17, 1787
– Ratified on June 21, 1788
– Took effect on March 4, 1789
The Unites States Constitution PDF
The Constitution of the United States Audiobook via Youtube
The Annenberg Guide to the United States Constitution (an outstanding resource, thanks AG!)
FREE Online courses about the Constitution available from Hillsdale College. (Thanks Dave.)
Other good links:
History.com – The U.S. Constitution
The Constitution Explained
Wikipedia – United States Constitution
ConstitutionDay.com
CATO Institute “Radio Ads” explaining sections of the U.S. Constitution. This is a web page with audio links.
What motivated this post: Americans Are Poorly Informed About Basic Constitutional Provisions
For those seriously interested, Hillsdale College offers free online courses on the Constitution. Here is a link to one in particular: https://online.hillsdale.edu/dashboard/courses . It is very important that people read about the Federalist Papers. They tell why the framers of the constitution wrote it the way they did.
Thank you Dave! I have added that link to the article.
Sadly I agree.