Issue 361 Reading the Founding Documents June 18, 2014

I re-read the United States Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence at least once a year.  And now I'm going to explain why.

Reason 1:  It is the Founding documents of my country.  The United States Constitution is the document that defines how the government is to run, what rights are to be protected and how the government is to interact with the people.  In short, it refreshes the memory on what government can do and cannot do for you.  It allows for people to know when the government goes too far and how often it may interfere in our daily lives.  In short, you know your rights, privileges and familiarize yourself with government.  The Declaration of Independence is similar in this respect, but defines the tyranny that America suffered and why we separated from Great Briton.  Knowledge of this also is important so that we can recognize tyranny in the modern age.

Reason 2:  The intention of the founders is also ever present in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.  By understanding the intent it also gives a window into the history and culture of the America that once was.  It also, allows us access to the values that are important to the American Republic as well as helping to perpetuate those values.  These values I feel must be maintained in order to perpetuate a free and just society into any age.  

Conclusion:  So yes I re-read these documents ever year so as to refresh and preserve my knowledge of what my country is all about, Freedom.  You must remember that knowledge is power and those who know more about the rights and privileges that we as individuals have means they have power over you.  This of course invites tyranny, not just on the governmental level, but on the person to person level as well.  As such, so as not to be fooled by false promises and be controlled by others, I want to know more and understand better than those who would misuse the power of knowledge.  I also seek to extend and apply my understanding of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence to my everyday life.  For this I watch, listen and learn about different points of view and government actions and make judgments based on my knowledge of the founding documents so I know what is allowed by government and what belongs to the people respectively.  This is my reasoning to re-read the most important documents ever to be written in the history of the United States of America.  Maybe you should re-read them too.