You’d never know it based on many of the actions taken by the Biden administration, but the Constitution is the law of the land. It has been since 1787.
Today is the anniversary of when 39 delegates signed what would become one of the most important documents in world history at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Yet, you would be hard-pressed to find many people who know the significance of the date.
Constitution Day has always been in the shadows of Independence Day when it comes to holidays. That holds true even though the Constitution is of greater significance than the Declaration of Independence — the document honored every July 4. There aren’t any national concerts or celebrations on Sept. 17. No major parades. No long weekends at the beach. This could be why many Americans lack a basic understanding of the Constitution and the spirit of freedom and limited government that those 39 delegates agreed to by signing it.
People today refer to the Constitution as the law of the land without really comprehending many of its principles. They fail to appreciate how large our federal government has become beyond what the Constitution envisioned.
The concept of limited government, along with God-given individual rights, was inspired by documents such as the Magna Carta and the ideas of philosophers such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes, among others. But in the years leading up to the American Revolution and the Constitutional Convention, these freedoms were novel. Patriots in the 18th century were fighting against the consequences of big and arbitrary government.
James Madison, known as the father of the Constitution, emphasized the importance of a limited federal government. In doing so, Madison referenced a mistake from the 18th century that many people make today — confusing pure democracy with republican government. “Had every Athenian been a Socrates,” he wrote in “Federalist No. 55,” “every Athenian assembly would still have been a mob.”
In order to avoid the tyranny of the majority, Madison designed a representative democracy that conferred only limited powers upon the federal government. But as the size of government exploded, such ideas were forgotten. People today conflate our federal government with massive power and not with the limited powers that Madison envisioned.
Given the bureaucratic monster that our federal government has become, undoubtedly, our founding fathers would not recognize the progeny they created on Sept. 17, 1787. Bloated government, reckless spending, and other problems are all current issues that run counter to the ideals that inspired the Constitution. Yet, these inspirations seem to be as forgotten as the Constitution holiday itself. That is why we must remember to celebrate it.
