FMYCP Civic Participation

US CONSTITUTION

1787 - 2017

230 Years of

Democratic

Evolution

DID YOU KNOW?

The US Constitution is the oldest living constitution of any nation on earth. It serves as the fundamental governing framework for the US democracy and its governing principles.

Did you know?

When Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, plunging the United States into World War II, among the security measures taken was the transfer of a document from Washington, D.C., to Fort Knox, Ky. [source: NCC]. The original U.S. Constitution, all four oversized pages of it, were considered that important to the nation -- as precious, apparently, as all that gold bullion.
When delegates convened in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, it was not with the purpose of creating a new U.S. constitution. The intent was to make some changes to the existing constitution, known as the Articles of Confederation. When they began discussing the changes, though, they decided it would be best to just scratch the whole thing and start over.
Though they're recognized as "Founding Fathers," John Adams and Thomas Jefferson did not attend the Constitutional Convention and never signed the document. Adams was U.S. Minister to Britain, and Jefferson was U.S. Minister to France.
The Constitution of the United States is the shortest one in the world. The document drafted in 1787 totaled 4,400 words. The entire original document takes up four pages, each one measuring about 29 by 24 inches (73 by 60 centimeters). With the signature section, there are 4,543 words, and including all of the amendments brings the total is 7,591.
During the entire 100 days it took to complete the U.S. Constitution, delegates took only 10 days off. Six days a week, for more than three months, they discussed, debated and voted all day in a hot, stuffy room.
There is no mention of "democracy" in the Constitution. In fact, the United States of America isn't a true democracy; it's a republic, which is how the framers intended it. In a pure democracy, the people make decisions directly. In a republic, the people make decisions indirectly, via representatives. The men at the Convention believed pure democracy to be a dangerous form of government
Thanksgiving was originally made a national holiday with the intention of giving very specific thanks -- for the country's new constitution. President George Washington issued the proclamation in 1789, calling upon the people to acknowledge: "… a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

MAY - SEPTEMBER

The FMYCP celebrates the 230th jubilee of the US constitution. Between its drafting dated may 25th to its ratification and becoming law on September 17th, the Foundation will focus on a number of informative programs to involve the youth in local communities to participate in local civic events advocating knowledge related to the constitution, the bill of rights and US flag.

The Foundation advocates policies, programs and actions which educate and safeguard the long-standing American values based on the country's founding documents as stated in the Declaration of Independence, The Constitutions of the United Sates and the US Bill of Rights as they were amended following American society's evolution.

The FMYCP provide professional and subject matter support to legislators, policy makers and all areas of the policy making and legislative bodies the areas relating to its purpose. The FMYCP does not back, campaign for, support, or endorse political candidates, nor does it partake in electoral or campaign politics.

Civic engagement can take many forms—from individual volunteerism to organisational involvement to electoral participation. It can include efforts to directly address an issue, work with others in a community to solve a problem or interact with the institutions of representative democracy. It is the sense of personal responsibility individuals feel to uphold their obligations, as part of any community. "Youth civic engagement" has identical aims, only with consideration for youth voice.

In the Constitutional Convention, delegates had to vote 60 times before theElectoral College system passed (the other possibilities on the table were legislative decision and popular vote). Its proponents felt it smarter, since they objected to national campaigning, to have the people elect experts who were very knowledgeable about the candidates, and then have those experts elect the president. Since the Constitution's ratification in 1788, there have been 500 propositions to eliminate the Electoral College system. To this day, it remains. For better or worse, the United States still runs according to the trail-blazing, four-page document created in 1787. Some believe it should run exactly as that document says; others see the Constitution as more of a guiding framework. But very few think it should be thrown out altogether, and considering how long ago the document was drafted and the social and political changes that have come about since the 18th century, that's about as dramatic an endorsement of a government structure as one can hope for.