Here is a passage from Original Citizenship I am working on. Specifically, I am trying to develop the phrase “Constitutional Trinity” to embody the unity between the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. Seeing how I am not really familiar with Christian doctrines, I’m curious if any of my gentile friends have feedback?

“What’s in a name?” In the case of the United States, 235 years of independence and unity as a nation. The United States of America, as a sovereign, has been in continuous existence since 1776. This charter simply provides another link in our constitutional chain that stretches back to 1776, to the second year of our independence (when the Articles of Confederation were proposed), and to the twelfth year of our independence (when the Constitution was proposed). With the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the completion of our Constitution, another link was added to this proud lineage.

All of these charters are connected and interrelated. The Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution represent three modes of government for one sovereign—our Constitutional Trinity. To further develop this iconography, the Declaration would constitute the Spirit that animates us, the Articles of Confederation would constitute the Father that created us, and the Constitution would constitute the son who redeemed our existence. While the form has changed, the “United States of America,” and the citizens of the United States, have remained.

–Credit to Corey Carpenter (an anarchocapitalist atheist) for his assistance with developing this imagery.

Update: I also thought of “Constitutional Ménage à Trois,” but it just doesn’t have the same ring to it.