Today is Constitution Day, which observes and celebrates September 17, 1787, the day the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the original document in Philadelphia. This is a lesser-known and celebrated holiday than July 4, which celebrates that date in 1776 when the thirteen American colonies unanimously declared independence as a new nation.
These two events are inextricably intertwined because without the July 4, 1776 event we could not have the September 17, 1787 Constitution. The Declaration of Independence provided the mandate for American government, which was and still is a novel concept among governments of nations—that we the people have rights that are pre-political, not provided by or established by our government, but rather that the government exists solely to preserve and protect those fundamental rights.
.png)
.png)
