by Chris Bonham, Intern Writer

As Independence Day draws near, people all across the country will be celebrating and reflecting on the liberties that we have as American citizens. However, to really appreciate these liberties, it is important to gain a working knowledge regarding the document that ensures those freedoms. In light of this, we will be exploring the Constitution over the next three months; looking at what it is, what it protects, and how it still applies to the modern world.

According to the National Constitution Center (NCC), more teens can name the Three Stooges than can name the three branches of our federal government. NCC Chairman Edward Rendell has also stated, “…we shouldn’t view these poll results as an indictment of our teens. This poll tells us that we all must work to better understand our Constitution.” This information was found in a 1992 survey. So the question now stands: How much worse is this predicament now? Maybe it’s time to follow Mr. Rendell’s advice, and actually learn about the document that started the greatest nation on earth. But the first step in learning about something is understanding it.

To truly understand the Constitution, one must examine its history. Up until 1787, the U.S. had been operating off of a document called the Articles of Confederation. The Articles loosely bound the states together as a nation.

“The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional character, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived.”

Its biggest problem was that each state retained its own sovereignty. In other words, each state was like its own country and simply operated in conjunction with the others. A problem soon arose. Great Britain refused to remove all of her troops from U.S. soil, an action that was in direct defiance of the Treaty of Paris (the treaty that ended the Revolutionary War in 1783). They cited the fact that the U.S. had no central government to act on behalf of the people as the reason for their occupation. Other European trading partners with the U.S. cited the same reason as to why they imposed ridiculous tariffs on their exports. Something had to be done.

In 1787, state delegates held a convention. They decided to scrap the Articles in favor of the Constitution that now exists. This is the context that must be understood when talking about the Constitution. The whole idea behind it is that government should protect the people, but nothing more. James Madison, the Father of the Constitution, said,

“The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional character, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived.”

That is the heart and soul of the Supreme Law of this Land. It was written with the expressed ideal of being on the side of the people. After all, the opening three words do clearly say, “We the people…”. Anyone want to know what three words were in James Madison’s original copy? “We the States…” Why was this key phrase changed? It is because the founders were intentional about making the government about the people of the U.S., instead of about the politicians of the U.S.

Remember, a solid foundation is needed to build a house. This article has sought to get that foundation started, but it’s up to you to dig deeper. Next month we will examine an accurate interpretation of the Constitution utilizing the context that you have just read about. Only then can one begin to really understand our great Constitution, a document that has – for 200 years – made this nation the greatest nation on earth.