As Americans, we celebrate the Fourth of July, Independence Day, and rightfully so. It is the day we mark as the founding of our country.

Today is a day that holds significance as well, just perhaps not the acclaim and the festivities that come with July 4.

It’s Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. 

History records that the Constitutional Convention members signed the Constitution on this day in 1787. The Articles of Confederation that had bound together the then 13 states loosely were replaced by a document that spelled out what the government could and could not do and placed limits on its power. 

It set out a framework between the governing power and those who are to be governed. It separates the powers of the government into three branches, none superior to the other. 

The Constitution gave us the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment gave the people their rights to free speech, religion, and assembly and a free press. These rights were thought to be important enough to be listed first.

The Founding Fathers also allowed for there to be changes to the Constitution but doing so can’t be done capriciously. It can be done through either a national convention called by at least two-thirds of the state legislatures or through having both chambers of Congress pass it by at least a two-thirds majority. None of the current amendments has been proposed through a national convention.

From there, three-fourths of the states — 38 of the 50 — have to pass the resolution in order for the amendment to be ratified. 

For a document written nearly 230 years ago, it has shown to be incredibly effective and flexible, even as it draws the lines between the rights of the people and what the government can do. It is the guidelines for how our nation conducts its business and it is worthy of our respect and admiration.