Indiana University of Pennsylvania will celebrate Constitution Day on September 17 with two events free and open to the community.
Constitution Day commemorates the September 17, 1787, signing of the US Constitution, which celebrates its 237th anniversary this year.
Constitution Day events at IUP will begin with the traditional public reading of the Constitution by members of the IUP community on September 17 from noon to 1:15 p.m. in front of Stapleton Library, facing the Oak Grove.
IUP President Michael Driscoll will begin the event with a reading of the Constitution’s Preamble.
This is the sixteenth year that IUP has hosted a public reading of the Constitution.
As at past public readings, the first 100 participants will receive a special “We the People at IUP” T-shirt, a pocket-sized copy of the Constitution, and a star-shaped cookie. The opportunity to be a reader is open to all.
In the case of inclement weather, the public reading will take place in the lobby of Jane E. Leonard Hall.
Later in the day, the intentions of the authors of the US Constitution will be explored with “Chat with the Founding Fathers” from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in Jane Leonard Hall room 126.
When the Constitution was written in 1787, Thomas Jefferson said that he didn’t expect it to last more than 20 years. At 235 years old, the US Constitution is the oldest continuous constitution in the world.
Three of the Constitution’s authors—Ben Franklin, Charles Pinckney, and James Madison, portrayed by Political Science Emeritus faculty David Chambers and Mac Fiddner and History professor Joe Mannard, respectively—will discuss the work they did at the Constitutional Convention. Refreshments will be served.
“If we want to understand our government and the way it works, we have to start by familiarizing ourselves with the US Constitution,” Gwen Torges, who teaches political science courses and coordinates IUP’s Constitution Day activities, said.
“Now more than ever, the Constitution is front and center in our political discussions, and because the US Constitution impacts our lives, it’s important that everyone in the country have a general understanding of it and the government that it creates. It’s especially important that college students read and understand the US Constitution, because they are most likely the ones who will be in the leadership positions of the future. I would go so far as to say that college students have an obligation to educate themselves about the Constitution and to pay attention to what elected officials are doing.
“Living in a democracy and having the option of influencing public policy with our votes and our actions is a privilege. But along with that privilege comes responsibilities and obligations, the most important of which is to educate ourselves about our government and to observe and understand what’s going on in the world around us,” she said.