Wednesday, September 17th, is Constitution Day, and the 227th anniversary of the signing of our precious founding document. The National Center for Constitutional Studies makes it easy to share quotes with friends using social media. Join me and Bert this week as we share our love of the Constitution with other Americans by posting quotes from the Founders.
The US Constitution in Social Media
September 17th is Constitution Day and the 17th through the 23rd is Constitution Week. It is the time we are to turn more attention to the miracle that we call America. In fact, federal law requires that the Constitution be celebrated and taught in our nation’s schools more intently during Constitution Week. Many of our state constitutions include words similar to: “A frequent recurrence to fundamental principles is essential to the security of individual rights and the perpetuity of free government.”
In our Making of America seminars we remind citizens that, since the Constitution of the United States was ratified, we have made more human progress in 200 years than mankind made in all of the previous 5000 years combined. The Founders did not consider this a coincidence. To them it was a great latter-day marvel, one in which Providence played a key role in advancing freedom and the protection of the rights of mankind not only in America but throughout the entire world. John Adams said it this way:
"I always consider the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of a grand scene and design in Providence for the illumination of the ignorant, and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth."
Historian John Fiske emphasizes the Founders’ feelings that America has special purpose:
"They believed that they were doing a wonderful thing. They felt themselves to be instruments in accomplishing a kind of "manifest destiny." Their exodus [from Europe] was that of a chosen people who were at length to lay the everlasting foundations of God's kingdom upon earth.... This steadfast faith in an unseen ruler and guide was to them a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night. It was of great moral value. It gave them clearness of purpose and concentration of strength, and contributed towards making them, like the children of Israel, a people of indestructible vitality and aggressive energy."
Could we not say, with the Founders, that if it is the will of Providence that His children be free, He surely would help provide a way for the freedom message to be spread? No longer do we need to take days, weeks, and even months to communicate messages to our fellow Americans or even to the world. Information, teachings, messages, and testimonials today are sent instantaneously throughout the world. Can it not be said that these tools have been given us by the Creator to help spread His message of freedom faster than ever before? Does there not seem to be an urgency in us to hasten the work of teaching freedom to mankind?
And best of all, we do not need to go down to the public square to proclaim our message to perhaps hundreds of people. We can now and individually reach thousands and we can do it right in the comfort of our home!
The remainder of this letter contains quotes from the Founding Fathers and others concerning the creation and purpose of the Constitution of the United States (with emphasis added in places). We invite and urge you to copy and paste these in your messages through texts, emails, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and any other electronic media you might use. A short quote is quickly read and may have a powerful effect on the mind of one who has not been exposed to the freedom message before. It is a way all can participate in spreading the Founders’ message of freedom which seems to have been lost in the shuffle nowadays. Let’s make freedom the talk of social media especially during Constitution Week!
