Watching the events of the inauguration, I began to think about the process of the peaceful transition of power, and how it relates to the founding father’s development of the Constitution of our land. This amazing document is available here.
The very first lines of the Constitution of the United States of America are written in large, bold script common for the time-period, “WE THE PEOPLE." These are simple, yet weighty and profound words that sum up who the founding fathers meant as rulers of our country.
I believe in those three words written so long ago by people who did not know what the future was, yet, had the foresight to create a document that has endured the test of time. My personal level of pride raises each time I read the Constitution. Much like re-reading your favorite book, I find something new and impressive with each successive read.
Through the exercise of the Inauguration process, I witness the living aspect of the Constitution. As a history enthusiast, all events of history are exciting, amazing, challenging and thought-provoking. My love for anything historical came from my father. He was someone who was a ravenous reader. He read a book a day, no matter how many pages the book contained. His love was for the American West and all the history that surrounded it. From his immense interest, I turned toward law related historical works. One of these works is the Constitution of the United States of America.
Even though this document was written so long ago, it is a living document and testament to our stability as a nation. We rock n’ roll with diverse opinions, thoughts, and ideas, but in the end, we are still one nation ruled by the words of our Founding Fathers. Their experience with governmental oppression under a royal ruler prompted the creation of a new nation with ideals of freedoms we enjoy today.
The pomp and circumstance, we the United States of America bestow during the inauguration process, is not only symbolic for us as Americans, it is also symbolic to the entire world. We are the example of democracy. Our differences in thought unite us as Americans. the Constitution provides for the expression of differences.
In President Obama’s speech at Joint Base Andrew this afternoon (January 20, 2016), he alluded to the selection of a government occurred not from “the top-down, but from the bottom-up”. This was an affirmative recognition the will of the people drove the election process. Our government can truly be “Of the People, By the People and For the People." The inauguration of 2017 is a living example of what this phrase means. Whatever the political affiliation, this peaceful transition of power, witnessed by this humble viewer, is “common and miraculous”. Words uttered by President Ronald Reagan in his inaugural address.
As a perpetual student of history, my pride and patriotism for my country is immense. To be an American and witness the power of our constitution through the inauguration of a new president is the most amazing tribute to our democracy. We deserve to be proud of our lineage, and of our own traditions, namely the inauguration of new presidents and the peaceful transition of power.
