Julia Shaw

September 14, 2012

Constitution Day is next Monday, September 17. It will mark the 225th anniversary of our nation’s founding charter.

Much like the document itself, Constitution Day doesn’t get the fanfare it deserves. But let’s not allow the day to go unobserved this year.

Here are 10 steps you can take to save the Constitution:

1. Read it. The Constitution is just a few pages long. Explore the meaning of each clause with the line-by-line analysis at ConstitutionOnline.com.
2. Ensure that your family understands the Constitution. Read the Constitution together as a family. Check out Teaching American History’s interactive Constitutional Convention website. Add Constitution Quest to the family game night rotation. Or watch a movie about the Founding era.
3. Start a Constitution study group. ConstitutionFacts.com offers both a simple quiz and an advanced one. Failed the quiz? Enroll now for Hillsdale College’s Constitution 101 and 201. Or learn the Constitution at your own pace with The Heritage Guide to the Constitution teaching companion.
4. Learn about the Framers. Heritage’s Founders’ Almanac has short bios and quotes some of the key Founders. Guess who was president of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia? (Hint: He remains the consummate constitutional President, and his defense of religious liberty still guides us today.) Find your soul mate with the “Which Founder would you marry?” quiz.
5. Discover the ideas behind the Constitution. Learn about America’s 10 foundational principles and what needs to be done to get America back on course with the bestseller We Still Hold These Truths.
6. Share what you know about the Constitution. Post a blog on the true meaning of the Commerce Clause. Show some love for the Tenth Amendment on Twitter. Like the Legislative Vesting Clause on Facebook. Write a letter to your local newspaper about the importance of the Constitution. Donate copies of We Still Hold These Truths and The Heritage Guide to the Constitution to your local library and school.
7. Spread the word in your local community. Why should Independence Day have a monopoly on patriotic cookouts? Start a new tradition and host a Constitution Day party for your friends and neighbors. It beats a food stamps party, hands down. You could even end the night by singing patriotic songs.
8. Arm yourself with facts on key issues. Make use of Heritage resources to stay informed on the critical issues facing America, from foreign policy and the welfare state to health care and the rule of law.
9. Shore up the American Dream. Our Constitution makes the American Dream possible. Save the dream and fight for economic freedom by resisting the vast expanse (and expense) of the bureaucratic state.
10. Commit to a constitutional agenda. America is at a turning point: Either our leaders will guide the country even further along the road to “progressivism” or they will begin a long, slow turn back toward the principles of the American Founding. Changing America’s course is Heritage’s advice for how our political leaders can restore constitutional government.

Happy Constitution Day!