Happy Birthday U.S. Constitution
Today, Wednesday September 17 marks the 238th anniversary of the end of the Constitutional Convention which created what Daniel Webster said was the “works of the purest patriots and wisest statemen that ever existed.” He, of course, was referring to the U.S. Constitution. Sadly, far too many Americans know little to nothing about the Constitution.
Here is a condensed version of a recent encounter I had to reenforce my statement:
On Saturday August 16, we-Camp Constitution-had an information table at Londonderry’s Old Town Day celebration. A woman in her mid-sixties came by the table expressing her initial approval of our presence. She was critical of Trump’s tariffs and told me that his tariffs “were not constitutional.” I agreed saying that under Section 1, Article 8 of the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the power to impose tariffs. The specific wording:
“The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises to pay the debts…” Article 1, Section 8, Paragraph 1.”
I told her that while I approved of tariffs in general, Trump should have received the approval of Congress. At this point she was still an ally. I then explained that the New Deal Democrats in Congress unconstitutionally gave some power to levy tariffs to Franklin Roosevelt. It was called the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934. Congress passed two more bills in 1962 and 1974 granting even more power to the President. All three bills were passed in Democrat controlled Congresses.
The lady didn’t like to hear that Democrats were the ones that enabled Trump. Her pleasant countenance changed from friendly to confrontational. She asked me who I thought were Constitutionalist in Congress. “There are not very many” I replied, “Thomas Massie in the House, and Rand Paul in the Senate are two that come to mind” They both score 90% and above on the Freedom Index while Chris Pappas is a dismal 5%. https://thenewamerican.com/freedom-index/
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She told me that she supports Chris Pappas. “You denounce Trump for his unconstitutional tariffs but support Pappas who almost always violates his oath of office,” I responded. “I am very angry,” was her reply and she left in a huff. She is typical of far too many voters in New Hampshire, and the U.S. They know nothing about the U.S. Constitution. They only regurgitate talking points from the Democrat Party and their allies in the corporate media. At least Trump used laws passed by Democrats to justify his tariffs with the intent of it protecting the American worker-something that both major parties failed to do over the past fifty years.
A week earlier, we had a float in Alton’s Old Home Week Parade as we have for the past five years where we pass out pocket copies of the U.S. Constitution to spectators. The local Democrat Party also had a float and, to our surprise, also passed out pocket copies of the U.S. Constitution. What was even more surprising was that they were passing out copies obtained from the National Center for Constitution Studies (NCCS)-the same ones that we use.
While I doubt that anyone will be denouncing the local Democrats as Christian Nationalists, and members of a far-right fringe group, the Democrats should have consulted with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) before passing them out. The SPLC considers the NCCS as far right. By the way, the SPLC has us listed on their Hate Map as an anti-government organization but in the wrong state: https://www.splcenter.org/hate-map/?hm_year=2024&hm_state=NC
Here are some quotes contained in that version that we and the Democrats passed out:
“[The adoption of the Constitution] will demonstrate as visibly the finger of Province as any possible event in the course of human affairs can ever designate it.”
George Washington
“I regard it [the Constitution] as the work of the purest patriots and wisest statesmen that ever existed aided by the smiles of a benignant Providence…; it almost appears a Divine interposition in our behalf.”
Daniel Webster
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
John Adams
“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of master.”
Benjamin Franklin
Let’s honor the memory of those 38 delegates who signed the U.S. Constitution not by paying lip service to them, but by learning about the document they blessed us with and then ensuring that we hold our elected officials at all levels accountable to their oath that they took to defend it.
Today, there are many organizations that offer instruction on the Constitution which include:
The National Center for Constitutional Studies https://nccs.net/
The Institute on the Constitution Institute on the Constitution | Online Constitution Classes
Hillsdale College https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses
And Camp Constitution https://campconstitution.net
Readers who would like a free pocket copy of the Constitution can E-mail me at campconstitution1@gmail.com
Happy Birthday U.S. Constitution