ROCKINGHAM, N.C. – State Representative Ken Goodman praised relief workers, volunteers, and first responders who have been working diligently during and following the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.  “I can’t begin to express the gratitude our citizens have for all the hard work and effort so many people are providing to help those who have been touched by this devastating storm,” said Rep. Goodman.

“While we have weathered the storm, clean-up is just in its early phases.  Recovery will take a period of time, months if not years.  I have talked with the Governor and with state Emergency Management Officials to coordinate assistance and attention in our local communities that have been impacted by the storm,” said Rep. Goodman.

HAMLET - “I doubt … whether any convention we can obtain, may be able to make a better constitution; for, when you assemble a number of men, to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests, and their selfish views.  From such an assembly can a perfect production be expected?  It therefore astonishes me, sir, to find this system approaching so near to perfection as it does.” – Benjamin Franklin, addressing the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787 

Today, 17 September 2018, is the 231st anniversary of the signing and promulgation of our United States Constitution.  While commemoration of this date may or may not be on your list of priorities (surveys indicate that fully one-third of college graduates cannot even identify the Bill of Rights as a name given to the first group of Constitutional amendments and that nearly 10% of them think that Judge Judy is on the Supreme Court [American Council of Trustees and Alumni, September, 2015], so odds are that many of us are similarly unaware of the significance of Constitution Day), it would behoove us all to perhaps take a cursory glance into the history of this document. 

So, exactly what does (or should) our Constitution mean to us, and why bother thinking about it in the first place?  Well, for starters, how about our basic rights and liberties, all of which are (quite unfortunately) generally taken for granted?  Indifference to such things by our founding fathers would have certainly resulted in a much different life for all of us.

The U.S. Constitution has now persevered for over two centuries, preserving the rights and freedoms that are deemed to be just as important now as they were over two-hundred years ago.  But the cited remarks of the venerable Benjamin Franklin notwithstanding, the Constitution itself has had to adjust and acclimate to the changing times of our society’s history.  Its image of strength and stability has been tested throughout our nation’s development; our “Constitutional liberties” have not always been what they are today.  Alas, dare I say it:  The U.S. constitution has never been perfect.  

What is a “constitution” but a general standard by which laws, regulations, policies, rules, customs, mores, folkways, etc., are to be measured and subsequently adopted or rejected?  Just as is true with all such things, compromises have historically exemplified the rule rather than the exception; our U.S. Constitution is a prime example of such. 

The original precipitating mindset that resulted in the formulating of our “new” Constitution did not commence that way at all; rather, a gathering of representatives from twelve of the thirteen states (Rhode Island did not participate) “for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation” - our original “constitution” that had been in place for over six years - was the objective of the fifty-five delegates who convened in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall in May of 1787.  But it was soon apparent that an entirely new approach to government was in order. 

But even this new and improved document was not without controversial “issues.”  While well-constructed and seemingly balanced in the application of powers, serious omissions remained.  The addition of the Bill of Rights (i.e., the first ten amendments) in 1791 helped to solidify the credibility of this new document in the minds of the respective states, but it would still take another two centuries of adjustments before many of the glaring problems could be alleviated.  Constitutional amendments were subsequently required to address issues with the Electoral College; slavery; women’s rights; voting age requirements; poll taxes; length of time between the presidential election and the inauguration; number of terms permitted for a president; succession to the presidency and vice-presidency; societal usage of alcohol; etc.  

So yes, our Constitution has indeed served as the proverbial beacon of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as embodied in our Declaration of Independence, but it has not been without significant difficulties, ongoing debates, active social struggles, deadly violence between political factions, and even a “war between the states” that have all characterized our society’s continuous efforts to ensure that our country is truly represented by a “government of the people.”   

No, the Constitution has never been quite as “perfect” as Ben Franklin proclaimed it to be on this date 231 years ago, but … what would our life in the United States be like without it? 

Happy Constitution Day, America!