Written in 1787, signed on September 17, 1787, ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789, the United States Constitution is the world’s longest surviving written charter of government. Today is the anniversary of that initial signing. After spending all summer crafting the original seven articles of the historic document, an assemblage of the nation’s founding fathers in Philadelphia at the Constitutional Convention, under the leadership of George Washington, created what would prove to be the ideological and legal backbone of the United States of America. The 39 remarkable individuals who put their signatures to the document included such icons as Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Gouverneur Morris.
The document opens with its iconic preamble:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, 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.
In noting this historic milestone, TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison states, “Although the Bill of Rights wasn’t ratified until December 15, 1791 – which, of course, includes the all-important First Amendment – the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution should not go unacknowledged by practitioners of talk media, especially during this tense time of political strife and turmoil. Honoring and analyzing the tenets of this precious document is the very foundation of this vital medium. Constitution Day provides an opportunity to promote understanding and clarity when most needed.”