To the editor:

Many of our citizens believe that we celebrate the Constitution of the United States on July 4. That is incorrect; we celebrate The Declaration of Independence. This document gives us rights and says: “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

The Constitution wouldn’t have life without the Revolutionary War, military law and the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution is a framework to keep Congress in check. It describes the powers and restrictions of the three branches of government.

Article 4 Section 4 of the Constitution states that we are a republic, not a democracy.

Nowhere in the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation or the Bill of Rights will you find the word democracy.

Two out of three Americans can’t name the three branches of government. It’s no secret why there is such division in the electorate when there are so few knowledgeable people. Until we understand how our government operates through laws and orders we will not be aware of what’s transforming before us.

J. Joe Herynk,

Lawrence