The Constitution of the United States is the foundation of our American Government.  As the supreme law of the land, no law may be passed that contradicts its principles and no person or government is exempt from following it.

The following is excepted from
a Citizenship Day and Constitution Week
Proclamation made by former President
George W. Bush.

Today, we marvel at the wisdom of the Framers who toiled through a long summer of learned and contentious debates.

Their work produced a document that upholds high ideals, while answering the most practical questions of governance.  The charter they crafted – with its separate branches of Government, enumerated powers, checks and balances, and later the specific protections provided by our Bill of Rights – guides our Nation and inspires others around the world.

Twin Foundations.  As the delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia began working on what would become the United States Constitution, they grasped that a great democracy must be built on the twin foundations of:
     •  National consent to a Federal Government
     •  Respect for individual rights.

Balance of Powers.  In creating our Nation's Constitutional framework, the Convention's delegates recognized the dangers inherent in concentrating too much power in one person, branch, or institution.

They wisely crafted a Government that balanced the functions and authority of a Federal system among three separate but equal branches:
     •  The Executive
     •  The Legislative
     •  The Judicial.

As a further check on central power, the Framers granted citizens the right to vote, giving them the power to express their political preferences peacefully and thereby to effect change in the Government.

The Convention delegates ratified the Constitution on September 17, 1787, and submitted it to the States for approval.

Bill of Rights.  After much deliberation and discussion at the State level, the following two concerns emerged from among those who feared the Constitution's proposed centralization of Federal power:
     •  The threat of tyranny
     •  The loss of local control.

To address these fears, our Founders amended the Constitution by adding a Bill of Rights.

These ten amendments provided a series of clear limits on Federal power and a litany of protective rights to citizens.

Today, our Nation celebrates the longest-lived written Constitution in world history.

The subject of constitutional interpretation is a valid and practical concern today.  Federal judges who are appointed by our next president will be responsible for decisions that will reach into many areas of our lives for years to come.

Family Research Council works to maintain the rule of law and constitutionalism in state and federal courts.  FRC believes judges have an obligation to interpret the law as it is written and not to impose their own policy preferences – being committed to the text and clear meaning of the Constitution and other laws.  Read more.

The First Amendment to the Constitution does not include the phrase "separation of church and state."  Nowhere does it suggest that Christianity cannot be heard in the public square.

Yet today the misinterpretation and misapplication of the First Amendment is being used to remove all influence of the Bible and Christian principles from public policy.

The founding fathers did not include the First Amendment in the Constitution to disallow Christianity from influencing state-established institutions.  In fact, the first act of the United States Congress was to authorize the printing of 20,000 Bibles for the Indians.  Read more.

ParentalRights.Org, headed by Michael P. Farris, has proposed the Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Section 1 reads, "The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children is a fundamental right."

Read more and find out how you can help.

•  Read the Constitution, including Amendments, along with explanations of the text.

•  See printer-friendly versions of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Amendments 11-27.

•  Free online resources from Hillsdale College:
•  The Constitution Reader Online, an interactive, searchable, and customizable website centered around The U.S. Constitution, including illustrated timeline, key debates, database of quotes, and topics that are most important to understanding American government.
•  Two courses and one mini-course on the U.S. Constitution with weekly lectures, study guides, quizzes, readings, and Q&A sessions featuring participant questions.

•  Order Constitutional Literacy DVD Set, 25-lecture series by Michael P. Farris and other Constitutional Law resources from HSLDA.

•  Order Enlightened Democracy by Tara Ross.  Understand the Constitution and the basic tenets that undergird America's republican democracy.

•  Naturalization Self Test.  Test your knowledge of United States History and the structure of our government on this easy-to-use online question and answer interactive site.

Excerpted and reprinted by permission from an article by Charles and Cindy Meek, www.faithfacts.org.

Christians believe that the Bible offers ultimate, objective, and absolute truth. There was a general consensus on this point in America from the earliest settlers until only very recently.

Thus it was natural for the early Americans to turn to the Bible for guidance as to how to make civil law. This was the standard for law beginning with the Mayflower Compact all the way through the constitutions of all 50 states.

For example, the first state constitution was the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639).  Read this document which contains these words:

"For as much as it hath pleased Almighty God by the wise disposition of his divine providence . . . and well knowing where a people are gathered together the word of God requires that to maintain the peace and union of such a people there should be an orderly and decent Government established according to God, . . . to maintain and preserve the liberty and purity of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus which we now profess. . ."

The framers of this document desired that every aspect of it be based on the Bible. This document was a model for other constitutions including the U.S. Constitution which followed it. (See other Preambles to State Constitutions.)

Another aspect of our system of government is that it is based on the Rule of Law. This concept is a direct descendant of Hebrew law and the Ten Commandments.

Together with the concept of inalienable rights from God, these concepts helped ensure a way of life that respected the dignity of every individual.

Another important aspect of America's constitution is that it has as its basis the distinctly Christian idea that man is basically sinful. Every one of our founding fathers understood this truth. The result was that the founders built into the Constitution an elaborate system of checks and balances.

This is evident in the horizontal plane of executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. It is also evident in the vertical plane of federalism - states' powers versus federal powers.

•  See a chart of 21 items showing the influence of Biblical thought on America's legal system with Bible references, e.g., Private Property Rights - Fifth Amendment, Exodus 20:15,17.