I was supposed to give a speech for Constitution Day today, but the rain interfered with my plan. I don’t want the speech to go to waste, so here it is.
When we Americans talk about our constitution, we tend to think of “The Constitution” as just it’s name. But today, I think it’s important to remember that constitution is a word of the English language. Our constitution is called a constitution because that word represents what the document does.
Some definitions of the word “constitution:” The way in which a thing is composed or made up. The act or process of constituting – establishment. The state of being constituted – formation.
The reason I cite these definitions is to make a point that too often goes unmentioned or forgotten in today’s media. These definitions all have to do with the act of making something which did not previously exist.
The federal government did not exist before the constitution was written. It had no form. It was a nullity. It was void. There was no such thing.
Our federal government exists solely because we created it out of nothing.
Even though we’re here today to celebrate the constitution, I think it’s a good idea to cite a famous quote from the declaration of independence. It further emphasizes this point about the fact that the constitution created out of nothing a federal government.
“To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
We’ve all heard that quote before. In fact, it’s so frequently heard that I think the words may have lost their meaning for some. So with your indulgence, I’ll take a moment or two to talk about what the words mean.
Governments are instituted among men: The government does not exist until humans form it.
To secure these rights: Our rights existed before the government did. The government doesn’t give us rights. The constitution doesn’t give us rights. Our rights are ours, and we, the people created the federal government for the express purpose of protecting our rights.
Just powers: A Government power to do something may be just or unjust. The fact that it is the government taking the action does not in itself make the action just. The fact that the founders felt it necessary to specify how “just” powers are derived implies the fact that there are powers of the opposite kind.
From the consent of the governed: On its own, the government has no power, no right, no authority to tell us what to do. On our own, humans have every right to run their own lives and do whatever they want. There is one and only one way in which the government may acquire any just power over us. If we choose to permit it. If I say, “Government, I accept your authority to boss me around on this subject,” then the government has that power. But if I never gave that consent, the government never gained that power. If the government exercises a power to which consent was never given, that power is not a just power.
My friends, our constitution is the document by which we, the people gave our consent. When our forefathers sent their delegates to the convention that created it, consent was given. When our forefathers voted to ratify the constitution, consent was given.
If a power is not mentioned in the constitution, consent was never given.
And that, my friends, is the beauty of our constitution. We can know, at any time, what is right and good for our government to do. We need never have any doubt about what’s the right course for our federal government. We need only look to our constitution, and we can know for certain what political matters are right and wrong.
In this age of talking heads, and angry pundits, and a capital city filled with babble, we are blessed. We need not expect that the talking heads will tell us what to do. We need not look to pundits for guidance. We need only read the constitution, and we can know everything we need to know about what course the federal government ought to take.