McConnell Reflects on Constitution Day
September 17, 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following comments regarding Constitution Day:
“Two hundred and twenty six years ago today, about three dozen patriots helped form a more perfect union when they signed their names to a document that guides us still. The U.S. Constitution and the timeless principles that inform it have endured, ensuring liberty and freedom for the people of this country through war and peace, turmoil and prosperity.
“So on this September 17th, like every Constitution Day, we take a moment to reflect on just how fortunate we are to live in a nation that, unlike any other before or since, was founded on an idea. A big part of that idea is the fact that our rights come not from men but from the Creator, and that for this reason they cannot be taken away.
“That is the context in which our Constitution was written, and it’s the context of the Bill of Rights that was added to it, and it’s just one of the things that makes America exceptional.
“The first thing that every senator, congressman, or president does upon assuming office is take an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution. On this Constitution Day, I join my fellow lawmakers in recommitting myself to that solemn oath, to doing everything I can to ensure that the principles of constitutional self-government are adhered to and defended in Washington. This glorious document that binds us is the guarantor of our freedom, and the light that continues to guide our people.
“Today we remember that with pride and with optimism about the future of this great country.”
Background from the U.S. Senate Historical Office: To encourage all Americans to learn more about the Constitution, Congress in 1956 established Constitution Week, to begin each year on September 17th, the date in 1787 when delegates to the Convention signed the Constitution. In 2004, Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia included key provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of Fiscal Year 2005 designating September 17th of each year as Constitution Day and providing public schools and governmental offices with educational programs to promote a better understanding of the Constitution. Find out more about Constitution Day HERE.