We the people...

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, 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 of the U.S. Constitution

On this day, 221 years ago, our forefathers adopted the Constitution. It was later unanimously ratified by the individual states in the union through separate conventions. The Bill of Rights was added four years later in 1791.

Today is known as Constitution Day in honor of this historic event. To be honest, I didn't even know Constitution Day existed until my sophomore year in college. I found the day particularly interesting this year because I am currently studying the Constitution in my political science class.

It is truly nothing short of remarkable that our Constitution has withstood the test of time and remained the framework of our government since 1787. I believe that even our forefathers would be amazed that it is still alive and well. From the readings I have been studying in class, it is evident that many of them viewed the endeavor to write a constitution as a grand experiment. No one had built a government like ours before, so all they could do was build a framework to the best of their abilities and hope it would work. They no reassurance that it would.

Writing a constitution really wasn't even the original agenda. The delegates met to try to repair the flawed Articles of Confederation established after the Revolutionary War and determined that the Articles were beyond repair. (And yes, they wrote the Constitution with utmost secrecy and entirely behind closed doors--this was pre-Sunshine laws. But I would argue that considering the volatility of the times, they did what they had to do and it worked.)

Some of the greatest minds our country has ever produced, including Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams, were all involved with the process. The mixed government (a cross between a republic and a democracy with a part federal-part national unifying foundation) they created is truly nothing short of ingenious. Sure, our government isn't perfect and never has been, but the Constitution has done an excellent job serving as the foundation of America.

So, on this Constitution Day, I would encourage you to pause for a moment and be thankful for all the many blessings this country has to offer, including a constitution that guarantees us many freedoms that many people around the world can only dream of having.

Also, with this being an election year, I would encourage you not to throw away your right to play a role in the government, which our forefathers fought so hard to earn and protect. Go out and vote. And most of all, pray for these elections. Pray that the eyes of the American people will not be blinded to the truth in the midst of all the lies and the mudslinging, and that the people God wants in office would be elected.