235 years ago, today
September 17, 2022 Today we mark Constitution Day. On this day 235 years ago, the U.S. Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, establishing the framework for our democracy. This document is the one that our leaders swear to uphold. It not only established our system of government, but it also placed limits on the power of that government. It was and is, however, an imperfect document. The rights established in the early days of our republic were only meant to protect white men. It would be nearly 100 years before the Constitution would be amended to prohibit slavery and require equal protection. It would be another 100 years before the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection would begin to be meaningfully enforced. And yet, the full potential of our Constitution still has not been realized. The document is more a recitation of constraints on government power than it is a declaration of rights possessed by the governed. And this approach has left some core American rights vu...