The Volokh Conspiracy
[Eugene Volokh, September 17, 2008 at 4:49pm] Trackbacks
Happy Birthday!

The U.S. Constitution is 221 years old today.

(Thanks to Greg Stasiewicz for the reminder, which kept me from having to hunt for "Happy Constitution Day -- Belated" cards in the Hallmark store.)

Tracy Johnson (www):
And the USS Constitution will be 201 in 34 days!
9.17.2008 5:56pm
Tracy Johnson (www):
Oops, make that 211! I dropped a stitch.
9.17.2008 5:57pm
PersonFromPorlock:
Possibly in the same sense my father is 109. Been dead thirty years, of course....
9.17.2008 6:09pm
Malthus:
And how many years have passed since Al Gore and Hallmark started all this birthday-celebration sh*t? Did Jesus and George Washington have to pay attention to the birthdays of everybody and everything?
9.17.2008 6:12pm
EH (mail):
Did Jesus and George Washington have to pay attention to the birthdays of everybody and everything?

No, but Washington probably took Shrove Tuesday off. Jesus was presumably indisposed.
9.17.2008 6:25pm
Dilan Esper (mail) (www):
I didn't know it was still living.
9.17.2008 6:34pm
Opher Banarie (mail) (www):
...Washington probably took Shrove Tuesday off.

A true slave-master, that Washington. Even made his army sit in the cold on Christmas Day. Sheeesh!
9.17.2008 6:34pm
Martinus (mail) (www):
The Constitution is arguably the most important document ever drafted by mortal man. I am proud to recognize its anniversary, though I wouldn't trust Hallmark to make a suitable card for the occasion.
9.17.2008 6:39pm
cheeseburger fanatic:
Happy Birthday to the Second Republic of the United States!
9.17.2008 7:02pm
Pat C (mail):
More importantly, where the party at ?
9.17.2008 7:33pm
DiversityHire:
I think we should celebrate by having a Constitutional Convention...
9.17.2008 7:42pm
MHodak (mail):
We had a Constitution Day talk at the school today (NYU), mandated by Robert Byrd's 2004 earmark. We had two fine speakers. When they opened it up for questions, I asked which part of the Constitution empowered Congress to mandate this talk. They laughed, and went on to give a vague rundown of how the federal power has expanded somewhat since colonial times, with "penumbras," "cascading effects," etc. It would be funny, if it wasn't sad.
9.17.2008 7:52pm
KeithK (mail):
September 17, 1787 may have been the day that the Constitutional Convention agreed on the final document but it didn't take effect until the following June when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify. Noting the nine month gap might I suggest that September 17 is merely the date of conception, while the Constitution's birthday, or date of birth, is really 21 June?

Definitely worth celebrating regardless.
9.17.2008 8:45pm
Obvious (mail):
PersonfromPorlock wins the thread...
9.18.2008 12:20am

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