234 years ago today, in Philadelphia, marked the final day of the Constitutional Convention—a gathering of geniuses for their time spent nearly 4 months engaged in an excruciating debate over the details that would shape the founding of our republic.
On the final day, as the last delegates were signing the document, the most elder statesman of the delegation, Benjamin Franklin, pointed stoically toward the sun on the back of George Washington’s chair, where he sat as the President of the Convention. Observing that painters had found it difficult to distinguish in their art a rising sun from a setting sun, he went on to say:
“I have often … in the course of the session … looked at that sun behind the President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting. But now at length, I have the happiness to know it is a rising and not a setting sun.”
Happy Constitution Day, patriots. Don’t ever let the sun go down on our beautiful Constitution or this beautiful country.
