The
U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. It was
written in
secret behind doors guarded by sentries because the fragile government
established after the Revolution was failing. The elected
members of
the Second Constitutional Congress knew that they had to come
up with
a form of government that would not only live up to the spirit of the
Declaration of Independence, but also be considered a serious
government to be recognized by other nations, especially those in
Western Europe. It was clear to the members that the current
form of
government, the Articles of Confederation, could not be
revised. At
the same time, Congress not only had to devise an economy, support an
army, and work on differences between the states equitably.
For
more information about the evolution of the Constitution, see this:
National Archive: "Constitution of the United States: A History"
In
remembrance of the signing of the Constitution, the 108th
Congress in
2004 passed a provision stipulating that any educational institutions
receiving federal funds are to hold an educational program pertaining
to the Constitution on September 17 each year (or a weekday before or
after if it falls on a weekend). This legislation was passed as part of
the Fiscal Year 2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act - Public Law
108-447 (118 Stat 2809, 3344-45). Click
here for a PDF copy of the law and the Implementing
Regulations.
The
U.S. Constitution realized ideas that were ground-breaking, even
radical for their time. It is the oldest federal constitution
in use
today and serves a model form of government throughout the
world. The
framers were careful to balance individual rights with both state and
national governments. Some other key challenges that
the framers of
the Constitution faced include slavery and the right to be a
free
citizen; to own property, to move, speak, assemble and worship freely,
among other fundamental rights and liberties they believed should be
protected from government intrusion.
There have been over 11,000
proposed amendments to the Constitution, but
only 33 were sent to the states to be ratified and only 27 have been
enacted. These have addressed such issues as the abolition of slavery
(13th amendment); the right of the federal government to collect income
tax (16th amendment); the sale alcohol (prohibited by the 18th
amendment, which was repealed by the 21st); the right of women to vote
(19th amendment); the right of people 18 years old and older to vote
(26th amendment).
The Supreme Court in its case decisions further
defines the ramifications of constitutional authority in real-life
situations, and have addressed many important social and legal issues
to the extent that government actions are either allowed or restricted
by the constitution, including the right of the government to outlaw
abortion (Roe v. Wade), the necessity for police to inform arrestees
of their constitutionally protested rights (Miranda v. Arizona), the
propriety of racial segregation (Brown v. Board of Education of
Topeka,
Kansas, among others), and the right to know what your government is
doing (United States v. Nixon, The Privacy Act).
The Constitution does
not impose explicit restrictions on its citizens of but it does presume
some responsibilities including voting, lawfulness, serving on juries,
and loyalty to the United States.
Some Web sites for further reading include:
Click here for a
selection of Constitution-related titles at the Richard J. Daley Library.
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This page was
created by Aimée C. Quinn & James W. Quinn,
Sept. 2006
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Last updated: Monday, 11-Sep-2006 13:42:46 CDT
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