This year is one of great significance for Ohio and the United States — it is the 230th anniversary of steps taken to expand and grow our nation.
On July 13, 1787, the Confederation Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance, creating the Northwest Territory, lands that eventually would come to make up Ohio.
Then, on September 17th of the same year, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution of the United States.
Without these changes, our country would not exist in the form it does today. We would not exist as a state, nor would Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, or Wisconsin. The values that have come to define America would also be lacking, as they are so inherently present in the Constitution, our founding document.
After living and working under the oppressive regime of the British monarchy, the founding fathers — Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and more — knew they needed to create a government with a fair and equal rule of law.
This was the foundation of our Constitution.
Following much debate, our democratic republic was born, one made up of three branches of government that incorporated a system of checks and balances to ensure no branch became more powerful than the others.
Most importantly though, our newly established government, both at the state and federal levels, would be one elected by the people and for the people.
And 230 years later, that standard still exists today and is why I’m so proud to be a part of an institution affectionately known as the “People’s House.”
This Constitution Day, I’m both reminded of the journey our country and state have taken these past 230 years and comforted that the American ideals that were created then still persevere today.
It is so important to know where we came from in order to better understand where we’re going, as a nation and as individuals.
Constitution Day reaffirms our past and celebrates a future that continues along the same path.
Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger represents the 91st District, which includes Clinton County.
