September 17 th , 2024 marked the 237 th anniversary of the signing of the United States
Constitution. While most people can quickly cite July 4 th , 1776 as the day we commemorate the
signing of the Declaration of Independence, “Constitution Day” is far less remembered and
celebrated even though it is an official federal observance. Still, September 17, 1787 is a
milestone date that should be placed on nearly equal footing with July 4th in terms of
importance to our nation, as it was on this date when Americans officially became citizens of
the democratic republic known as the United States of America.
We are all very familiar with the historical narrative about our founding fathers growing tired of
being exploited economically by Great Britain, taking up arms in April 1775, and declaring
independence in July of 1776. Yet, few are well versed in how the colonies were actually
governed both before and after the war for independence. On June 11, 1776, the Second
Continental Congress on June 11, 1776 authorized a committee of five to write the Declaration
of Independence. The next day a second, lesser-known committee of thirteen (one
representative from each colony) was tasked with creating an “Articles of Confederation and
Perpetual Union,” which would bind the thirteen colonies and individual states together. These
articles would guide decision making on governance issues during and immediately after the
war. The Committee’s efforts were concluded in November of 1777 and adopted by twelve of
the thirteen colonies in 1779, with Maryland finally adopting it in 1781. The Articles of
Confederation then became the first official way in which our country was governed.
A number of important things were accomplished through the Articles. First, it gave our
country its own identity. Next, it established a “confederation of States” that was to function as
a “league of friendship for the common defense.” It also outlined that the individual States held
the power but were joined together for specific purposes, including common defense to fight
the war and govern in peace. Upon the conclusion of the war, the Articles of Confederation and
Perpetual Union became the guiding document for governance.
After the war ended in 1783, the United States operated with a fairly weak federal government.
There was no chief executive; the highest ranking individual title was a president of congress
appointed to run deliberations. Congress could not compel taxes and could only request
support from the states. Disputes between states over everything from trade to boundaries
made the Articles untenable in the long term. In September of 1786, a committee of
representatives from five of the states met in Annapolis to discuss improvements to the original
Articles of Confederation. This led to a wider call for representatives from all thirteen states to attend a convention in the Spring of 1786 in Philadelphia. The purpose of the convention was
“for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation.”
Remarkably, the delegates quickly got to work with other ideas in mind. They met in secret,
not sharing their work openly during deliberations with anyone outside the meeting room. And
rather than working to revise the Articles as tasked, they scrapped that framework altogether
and devised the Constitution. On September 17, 1787, the thirty-nine delegates signed the
newly created document and it was sent to the thirteen states to be ratified. In so doing, the
most enduring and durable form of democracy was created: a representative republic with
three separate, but co-equal, branches of federal government. The model implemented a
system of checks and balances between the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary
branches. It also eventually established the Bill of Rights, delineating the essential rights of each
and every person that cannot be infringed upon as they were by Great Britain leading to the
Revolutionary War.
The signing of the Constitution in 1787 was a monumental day in American history and its
significance is rivaled only by the Declaration of Independence. Yet somehow it is only a
relatively recent development that September 17 th was officially declared “Constitution Day.”
Previously, September 17 th had been called Citizenship Day, commemorating the establishment
of the first citizens of the United States. We are forever indebted to the foresight of our
founders who created a form of government, which, while not perfect, is enduring and best
guarantees the rights of individuals in a way which remains unique and singular in history.
