In the summer of 1787, delegates met in Independence Hall in Philadelphia to form one of the most cherished documents in America, our country’s constitution.

With 33 year old Thomas Jefferson as the principal author, our Founding Fathers began with the words, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America”.

In order to create “a more perfect union,” these brilliant statesmen crafted the framework that upheld federal and states’ interests, as well as individual human rights.

After living under the tyranny of the British monarchy, the intent of three distinct, but equal branches of government - Executive, Legislative and Judicial - was to prevent either branch from wielding too much power.

As these patriots signed their names to the document they had scrupulously created, little did they know their actions would change the course of human history.

After 116 days of deliberations, in response to this question as he left Independence Hall: “Well, Doctor, what have we got – a Republic or a Monarchy?” 81 year-old Benjamin Franklin replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

For over two centuries, our nation’s God-given freedoms have served as a beacon of hope for people around the world. Now considered to be the world’s oldest surviving constitution, its model has been used by other nations to create new constitutions.

The intent of the Constitution is to limit the federal government and assert the basic rights of the people. Its companion document, the Declaration of Independence, preserves our liberties. It states, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness….”

Just think about the incredible amount of courage it must have taken for these men to publicly sign their names to not only the U.S. Constitution, but to the Declaration of Independence, whose final sentence is an oath among the signers, to “mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our Sacred Honor.”

Most assuredly, everything had been put on the line. In fact, many of these brave patriots’ lives and fortunes were ultimately sacrificed for their fellow Americans in their service to their country.

Advocates for Faith & Freedom is grateful and privileged to honor the courage of our Founding Fathers through our work defending the U.S. Constitution in the courts and preserving our Religious liberties.

Would you like to do something to help ensure that America’s hard-fought constitutional freedoms continue to be part of our country’s brave heritage?

“For you have been called to live in freedom…use your freedom to serve one another in love.”  Galatians 5:13 NLT

Be sure you are an informed citizen. Get to know your elected representatives’ names and pray for them regularly. Register to vote – and then vote your Christian values to ensure that those who represent us and the policies they support share our Biblical world view!

May God continue to bless our great nation, our ministry, and everyone whose constitutional liberties we defend.