Milford chronicle., 1934-09-14
HISTORY OF THE ADOPTION OF
THE CONSTITUTION

group of the greatest men Americs
has ever produced were meetinf
daily in the State House. The street
outside this building was covered
with soft earth to muffle the noise
of passing carts that might disturb
their deliberations. Sentries stood at
every door to guard them from in
trusian. For four months they had
been meeting-debating the great
est problem that has ever confront
ed the people of the United States.
On September 18th, in the year of
1887, this group of men finished
! their work. AS a result of 81 days
7 continuous labor they had produced
a document of approximately 1000
words-no longer than could be
contained in four pages. Yet, so we'll
had they done their work-so wise
ly and with such great foresight had
they chosen those 1000 words-that
the document they produced became
the foundation stone for the worlds
greatest nation and the guiding
light of freedom for the entire
world.
Those men who drafted that doc
ument, that Constitution of the Uni
ted States of America, had known
tyranny of government over the in
dividual. AS their presiding officer
sat George Washington, who had
led the American people in a long
struggle against such tyranny, and
every man of them had suffered and
served in some way for the cause
of freedom. Clearly and carefully
they wrote into the Constitution
safeguards to protect Americans
from every form of governmental
oppressiOn-prOvisions to make the
government the servant and not the
master of its citizens.
Those men had experienced, also,
the chaos and anarchy resulting
from a weak government. They had
seen the fruits of freedom, won on
the battlefields of the Revolution,
slipping from the hands of the Am
erican people because there was no
government strong enough to guide
and direct the development of the /.
new Nation. Therefore they wrote
provisions for a government strong
enough to maintain and defend the |
liberties that had been won.
Wise enough to know that they !
were not all-knOwing, the authors |
of the Constitution made their work
flexible so that it could meet chang
ed conditions which they could not
foresee. Perfectly, it has fitted ev-
cry need of advancing civilization
and the development of a great in
dustrial nation. 1t stands today the
oldest written form of government
and yet the one most able to meet
the needs of its people under chang /
ed conditions without destroying
their liberties. /
September 18th, the anniversary
of the signing of the Constitution, is
a day of unparalleled significance.
We should do all within our power
on that day to increase Americas
of, and loyalty 10,
that most precious safeguard of
and justice-the Constitu-
Iion of the United States.
APPRECIATION OF THE
CONSTITUTION
WHEREAS, there is apparent
throughout the country insidious
seeking to undermine
he confidence Of. the people of Am
erica in their Constitution and their
system and form of government de-
Veloped hereunder; and
WHEREAS, there is growing :
'pirit of tolerance and apparent in
Inference toward such propagan-
lists; and
WHEREAS, the ultimate aim of
hose responsible for this insidious
Program of propaganda is the over
hrOw of our present form of gov
rnment by resort to open violence
r concealed attack; now, therefore
e it
RESOLVED, that the Ameri ian
.egion reaffirms its unwaVering
onfidence in and support of the |
constitution of the United States of
merica and the system and form OF
ovcrnment developed Hereunder,
nd that we recommend to the sew
raj departments and posts of the
merican Legion, through their Am
ricanism Commissions and Com
Iittees an active campaign to stim-
late a study and appreciation of
le Constitution of the United
tates of America, and the rights,
enefits and privileges guaranteed
hereby, and that they do further
,rmulate a program of active OPP
Osition to the continued dissent
alton of those doctrines which are
lbversive to our constitutional
rm of government and advocate
e revolutionary overthrow there
Three years from this moment
merica will be perfecting prepa-
tiOns for one of the most momen-
us celebrations in all her event.
! history. On September IL, 1887.
e Constitution of the United Stat
will be one hundred and fifty
ars old.
But In the interval between now
ID then, there will be three Sep
mber 17ths which should be OBJ
rived with as high a degree OF pa
Iotic fervor as the sequicentennial
the adoption of the Constitution
Ielf. This year, indeed, the Ameri-
n Legion is working on a more
lbitious program for the observ-
ce of Constitution Day than II
8 ever attempted before.
every day, not merely
ch recurring September 18th,
ouId be Constitution Day to every
nerican citizen. We urge upon