Three Fun Facts about the United States Constitution

For more than 20 years, Ryan Steensma has served in various safety-related positions, including as a deputy sheriff and as a member of the United States Marine Corps Reserves. In addition to his career in public and national safety, Ryan Steensma holds a degree in political science and history, and he advocates for upholding the U.S. Constitution.
A rich history surrounds the drafting, signing, ratifying, and amending of the United States Constitution. Here are three interesting but lesser-known facts about the document:

1. The Constitutional Convention convened in March 1787, and in September of that year, 39 out of 55 delegates signed. However, the constitution received the nine necessary and remaining ratifying votes in 1788.

2. A year after the ratification of the constitution, James Madison penned a collection of ideas to propose as amendments. These updates, now known as the Bill of Rights, originally featured a list of 12 amendments, with the current First Amendment appearing third.

3. Since the implementation of the Bill of Rights, the United States has voted another 17 in to place, for a total of 27 amendments. One of the two unratified proposals from the 12 Bill of Rights resurfaced and, in 1992, it gained enough support to become the 27th Amendment.

U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Ryan Steensma

For nearly 20 years, Ryan Steensma simultaneously maintained both military and law enforcement careers. His military career began when he joined the United States Marine Corps Reserves in 1989. A veteran of a number of military campaigns before his retirement in 2010, Ryan Steensma received the Kuwait Liberation Medal for his participation in the conflict.

In August of 1990, large armed units of the Iraqi regime invaded Kuwait. Scattered battles took place between the Kuwaiti army and the Iraqis, resulting in the seven-month occupation of Kuwait. At the time, the Kuwaitis were united, determined to resist the takeover, and nearly unanimous in their support for their legal government and leadership. After a period of ultimately futile attempts by the world community to end the occupation, the United States and its allies, pursuant to Security Council Resolution No. 678, began the military invasion of Kuwait in order to drive out the Iraqi military.

Through Operation Desert Storm, the US-led coalition began the invasion on January 17, 1991, and the mission of driving out the Iraqi armed forces and liberating Kuwait was completed on February 26, 1991, when the legitimate government and its leaders returned to power.