This year, Constitution Day is on Sunday, Sept. 17.

This marks the 230th anniversary of the longest-standing political pact in history, and one emulated by countless nations since its adoption in 1787 by the delegates at the Constitutional Convention.

In his first inaugural address in 1981, President Ronald Reagan cited the preamble of the Constitution, calling on Americans to “preserve this last and greatest bastion of freedom.”

The Preamble is as follows:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

In his farewell address, President Reagan again cited the Preamble, noting that the American Revolution was “the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government, and with three little words: ‘We the people.’”

America may seem chaotic these days, torn by conflicts, but it is still a place where freedom is preserved by the most remarkable man-made political document of all time.

We hope you join the ACRU in honoring Constitution Day by pondering the meaning of the Preamble and pausing to give thanks to our Creator for affording us the liberties guaranteed by the Constitution’s Bill of Rights.