PEACETOPIAN MILESTONES

A holistic movement for a better world
has been evolving throughout history...

September 17, 1787-
United States Constitution

Constitutions - a set of basic principles and precedents by which a state, nation or organization are governed - have been used to organize societies throughout history. The earliest known 'code of justice' dates back 4300 years in ancient Sumeria. Constitutions describe the structure and laws that determine how a government is organized, and are an agreement between the citizens and the rulers, ensuring that the citizens will have specific rights and responsibilities that the rulers will honor and abide. The United States Constitution, adopted on September 17, 1787 is significant in that it is one of the first to begin with the idea that the government represents the will of the people. Earlier constitutions were more or less concessions of rights allotted to the citizens, and laws to keep the ruler's commitment not to violate those concessions. This idea of a constitutional democracy was greatly influenced by the 17th and 18th century European philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment, such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Although written more than 200 years ago, the US Constitution remains the supreme law of the land, and it continues to guide American law and political culture. It has also served as a model for the constitutions of many other countries throughout the world.