 |
| George Washington is about to receive the draft of the Constitution from James Madison in this mural by Barry Faulkner in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC (National Archives) |
September 17 is U.S.
Constitution Day. It was on that day in 1787 that the Constitution was signed
by the various representatives of the States. It is also celebrated as
Citizenship Day.
For many, patriotism and
American identity is affixed to some cultural set-point which America
experienced at some point in the past. For some it may have been the way things
were in the 1950s, for others the 1970s.
In contrast, my sense of
patriotism rests in the Declaration of Independence and its promise of a
democratic republic as fashioned in the U.S. Constitution.
And so, I wanted to
highlight and celebrate the Constitution on September 17 much as folk celebrate
July 4.
When a person joins the
military, police force, elective office, even as poll worker, the first and
foremost part of the oath that we take is to this Constitution.
It seems that good
citizenship and authentic patriotism require at least a familiarization of the
various elements of the Constitution.
I invite you to visit
this link to the National Archives and explore information about the
Constitution!
https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/constitution-day
