Honoring the Framers’ Intent on Constitution Day

Each September 17, we pause to honor the wisdom of those who gathered in Philadelphia in 1787. The Constitution they drafted was not merely a framework for government—it was a covenant designed to preserve liberty by restraining power. The Framers, mindful of human fallibility, understood that unchecked authority threatens the unalienable rights endowed to every person by their Creator.

They therefore divided power horizontally among three coequal branches, and vertically between the federal government and the states. This deliberate structure was no accident. It reflected a profound awareness that freedom flourishes only when those entrusted with governing are themselves bound by law. The separation of powers and the system of checks and balances remain the Constitution’s chief safeguards against tyranny.

Equally vital was the recognition that the exercise of governmental power must be limited, not for efficiency’s sake, but for the protection of fundamental human dignity. The Framers knew that rights such as life, liberty, and conscience are not grants from government; they are inherent and unalienable. Government’s role is not to bestow them, but to secure them.

On Constitution Day, then, we do more than commemorate a historical event. We recommit ourselves to the enduring principles that undergird constitutional governance. We remind ourselves that fidelity to the Framers’ design is not antiquated formalism, but the surest means of preserving the blessings of liberty for our posterity.

May this day inspire us to teach, defend, and live out the truth that a government of limited powers, restrained by the Constitution, best honors both the rule of law and the unalienable rights of those it serves.