The Declaration of Independence and Those Unalienable Rights

The Constitution is, in modern terms, the "How To" manual for the Declaration. It created a structure of government that its authors believed would best honor the legitimate purpose of government - protecting the unalienable rights of its citizens.

Free RCIA classes for Students and Catechists from Catholic Online School

P>HARRISBURG, PA. (Catholic Online) - On September 17, 1787, 39 Americans signed their names to a legal document.  The words of that document were argued throughout the country as their fellow citizens decided whether or not they would accept the structure of government it contained.

When the discussion finally ended, the document was accepted and the United States Constitution became the foundation on which this nation would build, and maintain, a government.

But the Constitution is NOT the founding document of this nation.  And when those 39 men signed their names, they included language to prove that they recognized this fact.  The final paragraph of the Constitution states:

"done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independence of the United States of America the Twelfth In witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names,"

The Constitution was adopted in what its authors recognized as the twelfth year in the life of the United States of America.  So, if 1887 was the twelfth year in the life of this nation, what was the first year?  When did the United States actually begin? In 1776.

There was a document signed in that year as well. And the authors of the Constitution recognized that the words of the 1776 document were actually the ones that birthed this nation. The distinction matters.

America was founded on the premise that each person has unalienable, or God-given, rights. These rights lie outside of the legitimate reach of any government.  If any government attempts to violate these rights, its actions make resistance, and even revolution, justifiable.

The 1776 document defines those unalienable rights.  Life, so no government can legitimately remove from any person the right to his own existence.  Liberty, so no government can legitimately decide to arbitrarily enforce or ignore the law depending on who is standing before Lady Justice.  Pursuit of Happiness, so no government can legitimately dictate the life decisions of its citizens.

Since these rights come from our Creator, they are non-negotiable. The only reason that government legitimately exists is to protect them.

The Constitution is, in modern terms, the "How To" manual for the Declaration.  It created a structure of government that its authors believed would best honor the legitimate purpose of government - protecting the unalienable rights of its citizens.

The Constitution can be amended.  Unalienable rights cannot.  And that fact is exactly why those rights are not listed in the Constitution.

The Bill of Rights was designed to outline specific behavioral prohibitions that its authors hoped would keep the government from stepping over its limits.  But the Bill of Rights is as amendable as the rest of the Constitution.

The men who gave us the Constitution were wise.  Not only did they create a system that limits the federal government, they kept the things that a government cannot legitimately touch out of the language of the document that set up the government.

But they reminded us that the proper definition of the purpose of government had been given to us, and told us where to look to find it.  So in their honor, let us do so right now:

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.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,.

And now that we have remembered, let us work to uphold and defend.
-----
As a teacher, Peg Luksik has taught from pre-school to college levels.  She is the founder of several charities, served as an advisor to President Reagan's Commission on the Family, and has run for political office. She has been nationally recognized for her work on behalf of life and family.  Peg and Jim, her husband of 32 years, are the proud parents of 6 children. 

We ask you, humbly, to help.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'