Constitution of the United States

Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787 by Howard Chandler Christy

The brief period between election day and the inauguration of a United States president is a grand opportunity to familiarize kids with the US Constitution. America’s supreme law is brief, beautifully written, and (as written constitutions go) unrivaled in longevity and wisdom.

In 1787, American founders like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin met in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall to improve America’s government, which the unsuccessful Articles of Confederation had established. The result was a constitution and, eventually, a Bill of Rights that harmonized the dual need for effective government and the protection of pre-political rights.

The triumph of the Constitution is its limitation on concentrated power through checks and balances and its support of the energies of the people in ways that protect natural rights, including:

1. Separation of Powers: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial
2. Division of national and state governments: Federalism
3. Election of representatives to Congress: Republicanism
4. Protection of minorities from majorities: Electoral College
5. Safeguarding of smaller states from larger ones: Senate

These are a few of the methods used to make the energies and self-interests of the American people promote the flourishing of all. Just as important, the American system prescribed by the Constitution makes public virtue a necessity and provides room for its cultivation by distributing power and government.

One enormous benefit of acquainting kids with the US Constitution is that they will gain insight into the thinking that made America a land of hope. To help the study, I recommend the introductory essays on the Constitution’s meaning and formation in The Heritage Guide to the Constitution–they are short and enlightening.