Tuesday, September 17, 2013

The Joy of the U.S. Constitution - Happy Constitution Day!

Happy Constitution Day friends! I just found out this morning about this fantastic American holiday that not many people are aware of. Thanks to the NPR radio show "Your Weekly Constitutional", I found out that on this date in 1787, our founding fathers came together to sign the Constitution of the United States. I felt it best to dress up in character again to talk about this very important day. Please, call me Alexandra Hamilton.
The Constitution outlines some of the important guidelines that form our U.S. government. Here is what the very beginning of it states:  "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." Has a nice ring to it, don't you think? You will have to read the whole thing on your own...it's really a great read, and as my Mommy's college history professor once told her, "Every American should have a copy of the Constitution and Bill of Rights available at a moment's notice, and should read it on occasion since it is the basis for how things are run in this country."
I wanted to learn more about this important document, so I did some digging. I found several interesting facts about our U.S. Constitution. Here are just a few things I discovered when doing research. They make for some really cool quiz questions...
1. A handful of Constitution signers also signed the Declaration of Independence a decade before: these gentlemen include:  George Read, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, George Clymer, and James Wilson.
2. The signers of the Constitution came from varying backgrounds. There were doctors, lawyers, ministers, plantation owners and merchants. I wonder how many of them had dogs?
3. Thomas Jefferson did not sign the Constitution. He was in France during the Constitutional Convention, where he served as the U.S. minister. John Adams was serving as the U.S. minister to Great Britain during the Constitutional Convention and did not attend either.
4. Of the forty-two delegates who attended most of the meetings, thirty-nine actually signed the Constitution. Edmund Randolph and George Mason of Virginia and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts refused to sign due in part due to the lack of a bill of rights. The Bill of Rights came later on.
5. Some of the more famous signers of the Constitution include George Washington (the only Virginia representative who signed), Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and James Madison Jr.
Well friends, I hope you enjoyed this sneak peak into one of the most important documents in U.S. History. Every American should learn more about our U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence. It helps define who we are as a country, and deserves to be learned about, protected, and celebrated.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Sweet Pixel--I mean um-Alexandra!
    I loved this- you did your homework. It was a great refresher course for me. We should all know these things you are SO correct!
    You look soo cute in that hat! Haha!
    We love you and mom Jenny.
    Rann and Bo - Shih-Tzu

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  2. Wow Pixel you are so well informed!!! You look great in hats too! I think its your wonderful ears that help you pull off the look.

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  3. Pixel, You look so cute in your hat. I enjoyed reading your post and sorry to say have not read any of those since I was in school and that has been over 45 years ago. It was a history lesson for me and so glad that you wrote about this. I learned from this and found it very interesting. I also think I need to read more on our Virginia history since I was born and raised here.
    Love You Pixel !!!

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  4. Great post, and great photos!

    Because I was born in America, I feel like I have a great constitution and that's why I always recover quickly when I get sick. Please see my cartoon on this topic:
    http://bicontinental-dachshund.blogspot.com/2012/05/we-people-happy.html

    I bark at bigger dogs because the first amendment grants me the right to free speech. In fact I tend to bark more in the US compared to when I'm in Switzerland.

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