Sept. 17 is Constitution Day and it provides Americans an opportunity to celebrate the nation’s constitution. Here at SFU, several different events are planned in conjunction with the annual holiday.
On Sept. 17, 1787, participants at the Constitutional Convention signed the U.S. Constitution into law. Also known as Citizenship Day, it celebrates not only the adoption of the Constitution, but also the rights and liberties granted to all Americans.
“The Constitution provides all of us with certain rights. But what good are those rights if we don’t know what they are?” said History and Political Science Professor Joe Melusky.
“Educational programming on the Constitution is very important.”
The Pre-Law and History Clubs, along with the Department of History and Political Science and the Center for the Study of Government and Law, are hosting a variety of different events and activities for students to participate in next week.
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Pesto will deliver a presentation titled “Constitution Day: A Judge’s Perspective.” He will speak at 1:15 p.m. in Scotus 207.
A panel titled “To Run a Constitution: Interns’ Stories from the Field” will be held on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 12:15 p.m. in Scotus 208. SFU students will discuss their recent internship experiences with various legislators. Melusky will moderate the panel.
“I door-knocked to reach constituents to let them know about state programs and how they can reach out for help with any state-related issues,” said senior Political Science major Parker Lutz about his recent internship experience with Pennsylvania Rep. Frank Burns.
“I also helped constituents fill out requests for birth certificates to help with real IDs.”
Lutz will be participating in next week’s panel.
Students are also encouraged to complete several online quizzes that will be available next week, including “Which Founding Father Would You Vote For?” and “Are You Smart Enough to be an American Citizen?”
Questions on the American Citizen quiz will be pulled directly from the U.S. National Citizenship Exam. A passing score is a six out of ten.
National Voter Registration Day will also be celebrated next the week (Sept. 16) and voting registration information will be available to students in the Padua-Scotus lobby area. Students will also be able to pick up “pocket copies” of the U.S. Constitutions in the lobby.
Links to various other educational materials will also be provided to students throughout the week.
Did You Know?
– Some spellings were different in 1787 than they are today. “PENSYLVANIA” above the signers’ names is probably the most glaring of the differences in the spellings in the Constitution.
– The Constitution does not set forth requirements for the right to vote. At the time of our nation’s founding, only men could vote. Blacks and women were excluded from the electoral process until 1870 and 1920, respectively. Native Americans were not granted the right to vote until 1924.
– A proclamation by President George Washington and a congressional resolution established the first national Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 26, 1789. The reason for the holiday was to designate a day for Americans to give thanks for the new Constitution.
