On September 17, 1787, the members of the Constitutional Convention came together one last time to sign our Constitution. With these signatures, Americans were freed from Britain’s tyrannical rule, and our government began to take shape.

Our Constitution has stood the test of time. What began as our way of pushing back against an oppressive government has become one of the most well-known pieces of American history.

Students across the nation learn those first words of a timeless document—words that are the foundation for our government: the three different branches, the importance and value of the checks and balances system, the rights granted to them in the Bill of Rights, and the seventeen other amendments that follow.

“We the people, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, 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.”

Lawmakers have been entrusted to protect the very rights established in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the amendment process. Despite the changes we have seen in our nation since 1787, our Constitution has always stood strong.

Four months of deliberation by the framers was all it took to create a document that has withstood more than 220 years of government – a document that brought together the views of 39 very different men to establish the executive branch, a legislative branch, and the judicial branch.

During Constitution Week, which is celebrated from September 17-23 every year, Americans are encouraged to read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and to reflect on the framework of our government and the different roles each branch of government plays in the checks and balances system.

We are a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. We must never forget that.

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