Something to be thankful for
Something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving – The United States Constitution and not necessarily for the reasons you think. Europeans often make the joke that “this building is older than your country” and their jest is frequently grounded in truth. The country’s identity and buildings may indeed be ancient, but several of the countries’ constitutions, the very foundations of their government, are in their swaddling clothes when viewed in comparison to the United States Constitution. I came across this information in a magazine article over the Thanksgiving holiday and it surprised me (though it probably shouldn’t have).
Ages of the constitutions of the United States, Germany, France, Spain & Italy:
US Constitution – Sep 17, 1787
German Constitution [Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland] – 1949
French Constitution [Constitution of the Fifth Republic – The previous constitution of the Fourth Republic being an alarming 12 years old] – October 4, 1958
Spanish Constitution [Constitución española de 1978] of 1978 (It’s younger than I am)
Italian Constitution [Costituzione della Repubblica Italiana] – 22 December 1947
The United States Constitution is older than the above four European national constitutions (I’ll even add Switzerland’s [1999]) put together and there is no serious movement to eliminate, replace or even significantly alter it. It’s that good – something to be thankful for.
