“Ours is the only country deliberately founded on a good idea.” – John Gunther
Constitution Day is the day the U.S. Constitution was signed by our country’s founders in Philadelphia in 1787. Thursday, Sept. 17 is the day designated by Congress to educate ourselves and our young people about the contents of the Constitution.
Before New Mexico became a state, we first developed our own constitution, which is unique in many ways but is strongly influenced by the federal constitution, as you can see from this passage: “The state of New Mexico is an inseparable part of the federal union, and the constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the land.”
Under our state constitution, as state attorney general, I serve as head of the state’s department of justice and function as the state’s chief legal officer, legal counsel to state government and generally enforce the laws of New Mexico. The knowledge I have about the U.S. and state constitutions helps me a great deal in my profession as a lawyer and my position as attorney general.
To learn about the U.S. Constitution is to learn about the N.M. Constitution because of the similarities, while the differences present a fascinating look into the history of America and the development of our state as part of the federal union.
Clearly, it is a good idea to learn about the legal formats upon which our nation and state are based and, even more importantly, we should encourage future generations to study and learn about them too.
A few facts
With that in mind, here are a few things to know about the U.S. Constitution:
• It is the topmost law of the land, even higher than state constitutions.
• It is the owner’s manual for how government works, setting up the three branches of government — the executive, legislative and judiciary branches.
• The U.S. Supreme Court and our Congress are created in the document.
• It can be changed by “amendments” agreed upon by Congress and the states.
• The first 10 amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights, and they were added in 1791.
• The 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote, was not passed until 1920.
One cohesive, national society
Why is the U.S. Constitution important? I think one reason is because it established freedoms, rights, a framework for government and a way of living for a country that are still enjoyed more than 200 years after it was signed by the founders. Some things are built to last.
The Constitution of the United States proves that out of many different peoples, interests and desires, one cohesive, national society can be created. The document gave the founders the unity and stability they wanted as a nation while safeguarding the rights and liberties of states and individuals.
This is accomplished in the Constitution by a system of checks and balances that prevent any one element from gaining too much power. There is an old saying about not having to learn how to build a watch in order to know what time it is; however, when it comes to living in the best country in the world, it’s kind of fun to learn how it was set up so many years ago.
The founders designed a national government that to this day depends upon the participation and involvement of its citizens. The ideas written into the U.S. Constitution are important to understanding what it means to be an American.
By celebrating Constitution Day, we remind all citizens that participating in our democracy not only preserves our freedom and liberty, but in these uncertain times, it bolsters our national pride and gives us a sense that, no matter what the future brings, we will face it together as a nation.
King is New Mexico’s attorney general.