September 17th marks the 236th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. With the future of the fledgling United States hanging in the balance, ratification was far from certain until an agreement was reached to add a set of amendments protecting individual rights. Today we call those amendments the Bill of Rights.As a 28-year Oklahoma public school educator who taught classes on the Constitution, and a 12-year member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, the principles and promises set forth in the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights have always held great personal meaning for me. As an American citizen who has reaped the benefits of those ideals throughout my life, I’ve long felt the responsibility to pass them along to subsequent generations, in the hope that they, too, will be inspired by the extraordinary vision upon which our remarkable nation is based, and find their own way of embracing and defending this unique American legacy.How do we accomplish this? Through our personal example for one, by striving to uphold and advance the tenets of liberty, equality and justice for all in our daily dealings. Also through our educational institutions, and the teachers charged with bringing to life all the challenges and struggles our nation and its people have endured to provide the freedoms we enjoy today.One other important opportunity is in our public square, as anyone who has visited our Nation’s Capital has experienced. Its monuments and memorials are a powerful testament to America’s heritage and ideals. They show each new generation what those before them felt was so important that they literally carved it into stone and forged it into metal, making our nation’s history visible, tangible and ultimately personal.That is why I was honored to be the House author on the resolution approving a monument of the Bill of Rights on the grounds of the Oklahoma Capital and am now honored to be leading the effort to create The Bill of Rights Plaza, an exceptional design by one of America’s leading stone sculptors. When completed, it will be America’s largest display of the Bill of Rights, and a legacy that will inspire generations of visitors to our Capitol, including the thousands of Oklahoma school children who visit each year.Will you join me during this week of celebrating the United States Constitution by becoming ...
