U.S. Constitution ‘forged’ government

Provided by the Isaac Van Wart Chapter of the DAR

The U.S. Constitution was forged in the summer of 1787 in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pa., and signed September 17, 1787, by delegates from the various states.

At the end of the Revolutionary War, a peacetime government was needed to enforce law and order, establish commerce and pay the large debt accumulated during the war. To say the United States Constitution was “forged” or “worked into shape” can help people understand the writing of this extraordinary plan for a government.

“We must remember and teach that those who wrote the Constitution believed that no government can create freedom, but that government must guard freedom rather than encroach upon the freedoms of its people,” said Merry Ann T. Wright, president general of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). “The Constitution by itself cannot guarantee liberty. A nation’s people can remain free only by being responsible citizens who are wiling to learn about the rights of each arm of government and require that each is accountable for its own function.

“Therefore, Constitution Week is the perfect opportunity to read and study this great document, which is the safeguard of our American liberties,” she added. “We encourage all citizens across the country to take time to guard that which is committed to us by our forefathers … our freedom.”

The Constitution is the cornerstone of our freedoms and was written to protect every American from the abuse of power by the government. Read beyond the Preamble of the Constitution to understand the structure of the three branches of the U.S.’s representative government. The three branches are Legislative, Judicial and Executive.

Know your Constitution! Who is in each branch and what are their governing powers? Constitution Day is September 17.