On this day 231 years ago, the Constitutional Convention wrapped up its work and submitted it to Congress, to be forwarded to ratifying conventions in the states. The proposal was far from perfect. Politics is the art of the possible, and many compromises were necessary.

Even so, the proposed Constitution was a huge step forward. It provided a framework for government that would allow the new nation to grow and improve. It provided a mechanism for its own improvement, allowing amendment by the concurrence of 3/4 of the states rather than the nearly impossible unanimity required under the Articles of Confederation.

In Professor Amar's recent testimony, noted here with a link to the video, he explained that when we speak of "original understanding" of the Constitution we are not speaking of only the understanding at the time of the ratification in 1787-1788 or the Bill of Rights in 1791. We are also speaking of the original understanding of the later amendments at the time of each one, most importantly the Reconstruction Amendments.

When we look back on historical figures, we should consider not so much what condition they left the country in but whether they left it better than they found it. In my view, the Founding Fathers deserve the admiration they have traditionally received. The subsequent history of the United States is a long drive toward the ideals set down in the Declaration of Independence. There was some backsliding, to be sure, but compared to the history of other countries relatively little. The remarkable work of statesmanship proposed 231 years ago has a lot to do with that progress.