A Constitution Day Message from Provost Sylvia Spears

The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787 by delegates to the constitutional convention. In doing so, the delegates established the national government of the United States and its fundamental laws. They also established the three branches of government along with what they viewed as a system of checks and balances with the goal of ensuring that no single branch would have too much power. Today, many people are questioning whether that system is effective in ensuring a “balance of power.”

In 1956, President Eisenhower signed into law Constitution Week, which runs September 17-23, to commemorate the ratification of the Constitution. In 2004, the federal government designated September 17 as Constitution and Citizenship Day. The federal government now requires any educational institution that receives federal funding to make information and education about the U.S. Constitution available to its students.

As I sit with the task of providing information to the CU community about Constitution Day, I feel compelled to question, perhaps even interrogate, how the Constitution came into being, for whom it was designed, what was and was not included in it, who is and is not truly protected by the Constitution, and most importantly, what is our individual and collective responsibility for the preservation of democracy.

Despite the protections outlined in the Constitution, we, as a nation, struggle with the provision of justice for all and the blessings of freedom for the many. We struggle to form “a more perfect Union.”

What can you do to contribute to making us a more perfect Union? 

• Understand what the Constitution is and isn’t. 
• Interrogate the history that you have been told.
• Create change in your circle of influence.
• Hold elected officials accountable for the preservation of democracy.

Resources:

• Get a Free Copy of the Constitution
  • https://www.aclu-in.org/sites/default/files/field_documents/PocketConstitution.pdf
• Learn About What’s Not in the Constitution
  • https://time.com/4433907/constitution-khizr-khan/
• Read A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
  • https://www.howardzinn.org/collection/peoples-history/
• Learn About the Engagement of Indigenous People in Debates About the Constitution
  • https://columbialawreview.org/content/we-the-native-people-how-indigenous-peoples-debated-the-u-s-constitution/
• Understand Why Democracy Matters
  • https://freedomhouse.org/article/what-democracy-and-why-does-defending-it-matter