Will the miracle of the Constitution live on?

To the Editor:

On Sept. 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the last time to sign the document they had created.

According to their own words, the Founders considered the Constitution as a miracle. Cleon Skousen, author of “The 5,000 Year Leap,” agreed that the principles of freedom the Founders embedded in the Constitution provided the intellectual, political and economic climate for this miracle. It created the impetus for a 5,000 year leap or advancement in all areas of life such as wealth, food production, transportation and communication.

This Sept. 17 marks the 234th anniversary of that momentous event. It is a time for commemorating and reviewing the Constitution in schools, homes and communities.

As we look back at the founding ideas and principles that elicited such growth in ideas and in a nation, let us see if we are staying true to these principles in order for our nation to thrive.

The constitutional principles can be summarized under three main ideas.

The first overriding principle was the need for a virtuous and morally strong people. The Founders believed there was a Creator and people should live under the orderly arrangement of that Creator or Natural Law. They felt religion was the basis of morality. They believed all men were created equal by the Creator. They believed in order to keep a republic, the people should elect virtuous leaders. The Founders considered inalienable rights such as life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness - all given by God, not the government.

Second, the Founders believe strongly in a balanced government based on rule of law.

Therefore, they placed People’s Law in the balanced center between anarchy and tyranny. They wanted enough government to ensure justice, security and good order but not enough to abuse the people.

They dispersed power, wanting the local government to be the strongest and then proceeding through different layers of government. They gave the federal government few and defined powers. The local and state governments were given numerous and undefined powers.

The Constitution established checks and balances and rule of law in an attempt to control the frailties or whims of man. They felt there should be a balance between the different wings of government, between the compassionate, problem solving wing and the conserving resources and freedom wing, knowing if one gained control, the republic could veer toward either anarchy or tyranny.

Third, the Founders believed the republic could not survive without an educated and enlightened electorate. They believed virtue could be taught and should be taught in the churches, schools, and family.

They purposely created a republic where representatives were voted on by a well informed people. The Founders knew the value of a good education as they were well read in economics, philosophy, religion and politics, as well as Greek, Roman, Anglo Saxon and European history. They had learned many lessons from history and wanted future generations to be able to do the same.

The Constitution was truly a miracle but the Founders knew it might require another miracle in order to keep it intact the way it was intended.

They saw that governments often veered toward tyranny, which they had fought against in the Revolutionary War. The Founders warned future generations of the pitfalls that would cause the abandonment of their freedom such as the welfare state, heavy taxation, deficit spending, and foreign entanglements.

They warned against equal distribution of things instead of equal opportunity as this was the lesson learned from the Plymouth colony. They knew our rights from God could not be taken away by government but that the people might abandon these freedoms in place of security.

So, now it is up to this generation, which is now entrusted with protecting these principles of the Constitution, which never get outdated.

This is why it is every citizen’s responsibility to know, honor and uphold the Constitution, reviewing it at least once a year.

Will the miracle of the Constitution live on for another 234 years? It is up to all of Us, the People!

Nancy Wujcik

Poplar Bluff Chapter,

Daughters of the American Revolution