Constitution Day
Friday, September 17, 2022 is Constitution Day and Citizenship Day; an American federal observance recognizing the adoption of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens by birth or naturalization.
For more information on the Constitutional documents, check out the following links.
- Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774 to 1789 (Library of Congress)
- America’s Founding Documents (National Archives)
On-Campus Activities include:
- Classroom discussions about the need for the 14th Amendment, given the Black Codes across many states in the wake of the Civil War.
- Discussions on Congressional hearings and testimony during Reconstruction regarding widespread terrorism enacted by the KKK on African Americans. Central to those hearings were discussions of the limits of the 14th Amendment and whether the nation must suspend other rights to defend the rights guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.
- Readings and discussion of the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case, its relationship to the 14th Amendment, and how that case set up much in the way of federal policy on race relations for the next century.
- A review and discussion of the Constitution and Federalist Paper #51. Class topics will include the assumptions underpinning the separation of powers, federal v. state responsibilities, and the legislative process