Ellmers Statement on Constitution Day

Statement

Congresswoman Renee Ellmers released the following statement from her office in Washington this morning:

"As Americans, we treasure our freedoms and self government. Our country was founded on the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but in order for these rights to last and stand the test of time, they required a permanent foundation."

"These words are found both in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and both documents were given the analogy of coinciding as one in another by Abraham Lincoln, while referencing a passage in the Book of Proverbs. In the passage, Lincoln cites this great principle of 'liberty to all' as the 'apple of gold,' and the word 'fitly spoken,' whereas the 'Union, and the Constitution, are the picture of silver, subsequently framed around it. The picture was made,' Lincoln insisted, 'not to conceal, or destroy the apple, but to adorn, and preserve it. The picture was made for the apple -- not the apple for the picture.' Just as Lincoln reflected on the Constitution four score and seven years after its signing, we are here now doing the same thing 224 years later."

"The Constitution stands as a protector of natural rights, 'certain inalienable rights', the most fundamental of which is the right to be free and be left alone, with the corresponding obligation to respect the freedom and property of your fellow man. It serves to ensure proper justice is adhered to, requiring such equal protection of people and property. This is how the Founders envisioned it, and as James Madison, the chief architect of the Constitution, wrote, 'that alone is a just government, which impartially secures to every man, whatever is his own.'"

"So today we celebrate the U.S. Constitution and the many blessings of freedom that it protects and maintains to this day. As our nation continues to grow and evolve, we must remember the freedoms this document secures, the history that shaped it, and remain ever-vigilant of those who threaten to ignore it. As Benjamin Franklin noted after the Constitutional Convention in 1787, our government would forever stray from the temptations of monarchial rule, but remain 'a republic if you can keep it.'"

"Today I'm proud to share in the celebration of the of our Constitution's 224th birthday. As I work hard in Washington to preserve, protect, and defend our Constitution and the United States of America. May God bless you and continue to bless our great nation."

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