Today, Sept. 17, no less than on the Fourth of July, the public should be celebrating what founder James Madison described to his friend Thomas Jefferson as nothing “less than a miracle.” Teachers nationwide should highlight its lessons.

Today is Constitution Day, the 237th anniversary of the day 39 delegates to the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the document they created for the people’s debate and consent. Madison, often called the “Father of the Constitution” for his signal role in driving its drafting and ratification, and Jefferson, primary drafter of the Declaration of Independence we celebrate each July 4, together represent the practical application (Madison) of the highest republican ideals (Jefferson’s draft) that mankind has ever used for human governance.