Souvenir Copy: Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America - Jan 7, Iyengar II & I

A have a small souvenir copy of these two precious documents. It was given to me by my Father 20+ years ago. He received it during a trip to Washington D.C when he visited the Capitol Building on business. I’ve referred to it numerous times over the years, and that is where I turned Thursday morning after the abhorrent events of Jan. 6th! I hadn’t noticed a brief, well-written, Introduction to the book before. It includes a brief history, some philosophy and technical points about both texts. This is the final paragraph of that Introduction.

In the end, however, no constitution can be self-enforcing. Government officials must respect their oaths to uphold the Constitution; and we the people must be vigilant in seeing that they do. The Founders drafted an extraordinarily thoughtful plan of government, but it is up to us, to each generation, to preserve and protect it for ourselves and for future generations. For the Constitution will live only if it is alive in the hearts and minds of the American people. That, perhaps, is the most enduring lesson of our experiment in ordered liberty.