"A More Perfect Union": Today Is Constitution Day
“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.” —Preamble to the US Constitution
Today, September 17, in the year 1787, the Founding Fathers of the Constitutional Convention signed the US Constitution, one of the most monumental documents in all of human history. George Washington, the greatest man of his age, was president of the Convention. Other larger-than-life figures like Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, Daniel Carroll, and James Madison signed. Such a confederation of greatness and brilliance in one place has scarcely been seen in history. A “more perfect Union” than any the world had ever seen (in the political sphere) was formed.
This is not hyperbole. If I were a great wordsmith like Longfellow or Lincoln, I could better express what this day means—not just to America, but to the world. America IS the greatest country in world history, a light to the nations, a beacon of justice and freedom. Never before had a country been brought into existence where every man had the opportunity to choose all of his rulers and shape his own destiny (and, by the way, there are no explicit restrictions in the Constitution itself on rights based either on race or sex. In fact, black Americans were voting in state/local elections in North Carolina until 1835). America has truly provided priceless opportunities to millions of people, both those who were born here and who came here from other countries. We ensured the end of two world wars and have helped many countries achieve freedom from tyranny.
Of course the Constitution was not perfect—nothing written by humans is. That is why Amendments had to be added over the years, either to correct tendencies to error or clarify sections which states were abusing (voting rights for all regardless of race, for instance). Several of the main architects of the Constitution, such as Hamilton, Madison, and Washington (all of whom were anti-slavery), knew that the Constitution was not perfect and could be improved over time. But as a foundation, the US Constitution is unparalleled. No other country can claim such a document for its foundation. We would do well to remember everything we owe to America and the Constitution’s signers on this Constitution Day.
(The Ellis Island museum was a source for this article.)