Essay Contest Winners
 Kirby Strider
Park Hill
High School
"Citizen Responsibility and the Constitution"
One vibrant and hopeful day in Philadelphia, representatives of seven states
congregated to write the shortest and most influential governmental constitution
in all of mankind. Aimed at revising the Articles of Confederation, the
Constitutional Convention pursued an endeavor vital to the rights of life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
This handful of pages was conceived after many long hours, days and months,
beginning when the Convention first assembled on May 25, 1787, and culminating
with its ratification on September 17 later that year. This artwork -- this
masterpiece, is the framework of an efficient democracy whose sole purpose is to
provide for the benefit of the governed. This document outlining the powers and
limitations of the government is the most important factor our daily lives and
freedoms.
It is the duty of the citizen, therefore, to participate avidly in government in
order to protect and encourage those rights. The Constitution has reinforced the
strength of the citizen’s voice in the government by limiting the powers held
therein. The right to participate in government reinforces the beliefs set forth
by the Constitution. Participation reinforces the systems of separation of
powers and checks and balances our forefathers set forth to protect the
governed.
The United States Constitution, a mere handful of pages, has proved to be the
most influentially impacting document in the world, setting the standard of good
government. Upon its ratification, George Washington wrote that the Constitution
“appears little short of a miracle”.
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