Happy Constitution and Citizenship Day! Today is the 233rd anniversary of the signing of the most influential document in United States History. We also celebrate all of those “who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.” In celebration of the great living document that is the foundation of all legal and governmental occurrences in the United States, all of us at Strellis and Field, as representatives of the law, have decided to share some interesting facts about the U.S. Constitution.
-At 4,543 words, the U.S Constitution is the oldest and shortest constitution of any major government in the world.
-Contrary to popular belief, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both did not sign the U.S. Constitution. Thomas Jefferson was abroad serving as the U.S minister to France, and John Adams was also abroad serving as the U.S minister to Great Britain.
-George Washington and James Madison were the only two U.S. Presidents that signed the U.S. Constitution.
-The word “democracy” never appears in the U.S. Constitution.
-Since the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, it has only been amended 27 times.
-Ten of these 27 amendments were the addition of the Bill of Rights in 1791.
-Pennsylvania was misspelled on the original U.S. Constitution as “Pensylvania.”
-The oldest signer of the U.S. Constitution was Benjamin Franklin at 81 years old, and the youngest signer was Jonathan Dayton at 26 years old.
-Benjamin Franklin needed help signing the U.S. Constitution due to his poor health at the time.
-Only one amendment to the constitution has been appealed; this was the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that instituted the prohibition.
The U.S Constitution has been used as a model for other nations’ constitutions, and its flexibility and intentional drafting have allowed it to be a living document. The U.S. Constitution is the source of all government and legal powers, and it protects the fundamental rights of all United States citizens by limiting the control of the government. Despite the drastic changes the United States has experienced since 1787, the U.S. Constitution still impacts us today and is exceedingly relevant in every part of our lives. Therefore, today and every day we should acknowledge and celebrate the signing of the U.S. Constitution that gave us the supreme law and foundation of the United States!
At Strellis & Field, Chartered, our attorneys have well over 100 years of combined legal practice experience representing individuals and their families. We are proud to be a group of lawyers with varied backgrounds, who work well together and draw on our collective experience to provide you with the best possible legal representation. If you want to learn more about our attorneys and legal experience, click here.
