Constitution Day, which is on Sept. 17, will likely pass with little fanfare since no one will get a day off from work, there aren’t any furniture sales, and the likelihood of creating a viral TikTok on the separation of powers and federalism is appallingly low. Before resigning ourselves to shaking our heads at “these kids today,” though, Americans should realize it isn’t only the kids about whom we should be concerned.
The New York Times recently published an article entitled, “America’s Constitution Is Sacred. Is It Also Dangerous?” A simple “no” might suffice, but the fact that a major news outlet in this country would even ask the question is symptomatic of a national amnesia of the principled foundation of our republic. The only danger associated with the Constitution is the popular ignorance of its precepts and consequently the election of too many officials with no fealty to them. As the prophet Hosea lamented of the Israelites, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
Of course, the Constitution is not holy writ. But just as the fortunes of the Israelites waxed and waned in correlation with their drift from knowledge and obedience to ignorance and apostasy, Americans cannot reasonably expect to “secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity” without understanding and respecting the document that makes it all possible.
If the Constitution is viewed as a covenant between the governing and the governed, how can the covenant be justly enforced if neither party understands or respects it?
