Op-Ed
An honor guard stands next to the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights on July 4, 2001 at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)
By Cathy McMorris Rodgers September 11, 2026 at 6:14pm
This year, as America marked its 250th birthday, we rightly celebrated the courage, clarity, conviction, and moral character of the founders who declared independence.
Yet the Declaration was only the beginning.
The hard work of creating a system of government that could preserve liberty and entrust citizens with the responsibility of governing themselves was still ahead.
For more than a decade after 1776, our young nation wrestled with that challenge. The delegates who gathered at the Constitutional Convention did not arrive with unanimous agreement.
They represented different states, different interests, and different visions.
They debated. They disagreed. They compromised. Yet they remained committed to the belief that ordinary citizens, through thoughtful participation and a willingness to seek the common good, could accomplish something extraordinary.
At the heart of the Constitution and America’s experiment in self-government are three words: “We the People.” Our Constitution empowers citizens to govern themselves while protecting the freedoms to worship, speak, assemble, innovate, and pursue opportunity.
But those freedoms endure only when citizens participate in the life of their communities and their country.
George Washington, in his Farewell Address, linked the preservation of our constitutional system to “wisdom and virtue,” calling religion and morality “indispensable supports” of political prosperity.
John Adams was even more direct: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People.” The founders understood that self-government depends not only on the laws and institutions they created, but on the character of the people entrusted with them.
Being a good citizen means more than knowing your rights; it means practicing self-discipline, taking responsibility, and seeking the common good. Likewise, we cannot defend what we do not understand, exercise our rights responsibly if we do not know what they protect, or teach the next generation why our system of government is worth preserving.
One way we can become students of the Constitution is by participating in Constitution Day. In 2004, Congress established Constitution Day as an annual opportunity, and a requirement for schools receiving federal funds, to provide educational programming about the Constitution and commemorate its signing on Sept. 17, 1787.
The entire Constitution, including all 27 amendments, can be read in about 45 minutes, less time than many of us spend watching a television show or scrolling social media.
On Sept. 17, this Constitution Day, I challenge you to read it in full with your family, your students, your neighbors, or on your own.
Ask questions. Discuss what it means. Consider not only the freedoms it protects, but the responsibilities it places on us and the role each of us plays in preserving them.
Near my hometown of Spokane, Washington, fifth graders at Liberty Lake Elementary School study the Constitution and complete community service every year. They learn not only how the government works, but what it means to be a good citizen.
That is the kind of civic engagement America needs.
At the Cathy McMorris Rodgers Leadership Institute, we are working to promote and preserve this kind of citizenship through Constitution Day programs, and we have seen encouraging signs that young people and educators are ready for this work.
Last year, we distributed more than 650 pocket Constitutions to students across eastern Washington. One year later, educators throughout Washington and Idaho have requested more than 4,000 pocket Constitutions and classroom resources.
That growth gives us hope that the next generation wants to understand the country it is preparing to lead.
The Preamble speaks of securing “the Blessings of Liberty” not only for ourselves, but for “our Posterity.” We did not just inherit what previous generations built. We are stewards of it.
For nearly 250 years, the Constitution’s promise has rested on ordinary citizens willing to understand it, defend it, and pass it on.
This Constitution Day, choose to be one of them — in your home, your school, your community, your country. The nation we leave behind for future generations will be built by the citizens we choose to be.
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.
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Cathy McMorris Rodgers served as a U.S. Representative for Washington’s 5th District from 2005 to 2025, becoming the first woman to chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and now leads the Cathy McMorris Rodgers Leadership Institute (www.cmrli.org) to inspire a rebirth of freedom and faith in America’s future leaders.
