17 September – Constitution Day, anyone?

Today, Wikipedia and other unimpeachable sources, tell us, is the 239th Anniversary of the signing of the present US Constitution way, way back in 1787. So it is “Constitution Day” and also “Citizenship Day.”

This immediately struck memories for some of us of the old Boy Scouts of America. Three of the merit badges on the “trail to Eagle Scout” were the citizenship series: Citizenship in the Nation, in the Community, and in the World. As far as we know, those three still exist, though the requirements have been made politically correct as the Scouts got increasingly Woke and ever more enemies of liberty. (In fact, for a while there was a Citizenship in Society badge that pushed, among other political heresies (and evils), DEI. (It went away just a few months back, in February.)

Back to today:

Constitution Day commemorates the September 17, 1787 signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia, marking the foundation of the nation’s governing framework.

Citizenship Day, we are told, recognizes the rights, responsibilities, and shared ideals of U.S. citizenship, and is “inclusive” including both those born citizens and those who are naturalized citizens. No doubt, for many, this is politically-incorrect, since it leaves out people with green cards and the millions of border jumpers. We note this was known as I Am an American Day before being renamed Constitution Day and Citizenship Day by Congress on February 29, 1952.

It is common for many naturalization ceremonies to be held on 17 September each year. While this is certainly understandable, and fits the old name, it still comes across to us here at TPOL as being needlessly ritualistic.

We have two simple questions. Should lovers of liberty celebrate or honor these two made-up special days? Today, society (read, governments and businesses) have signed on to the old Roman Catholic and Orthodox concept of the liturgical calendar. Where nearly every day of the year is recognized as something or another to be remembered, praised, taught about, and even worshiped. These two designations certainly fit a similar role for the “civic religion” which the bureaucratic state seeks to replace other religions. Indeed, it comes across as a modern version of the old Roman imperial idea of offering a sacrifice of incense to the “genius” of the emperor.

In 2004, an amendment to the Federal Consolidated Appropriations Act mandated that all federally funded schools and agencies must provide educational programming on the Constitution on or around September 17. While it is not a school holiday or paid day off, it is still “official” and to be celebrated on a workday if it falls on a weekend. As we understand this, it applies even to private schools and colleges if they accept federal money!

While we can understand, even appreciate, that the men and women passing this law had good intents, it is part of a larger landscape. That is much darker: the increasingly strong micromanagement of primary, secondary, and higher education by the FedGov. A power not granted in the US Constitution, and one we argue is anathema to the entire concept of federalism and the fundamentals of a free people. Like the US Department of Education, like FedGov grants and subsidies to all levels of education, this requirement should be done away with.

Even at the State government level, such micromanagement is counterproductive and destructive of liberty. In other words, it violates the very spirit of the document it demands be taught. The separation of school and state is not just a matter of getting the feds out of the equation: it applies to State and local and tribal governments as well.

Dear readers, how would you answer these questions? Did you “celebrate” this event? Did your school (public or private)?

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