Indiana University of Pennsylvania will celebrate Constitution Day on September 14 with two events, free and open to the community.
Constitution Day commemorates the September 17, 1787, signing of the US Constitution, which celebrates its 239th anniversary this year.
This year’s Constitution Day events at IUP are coordinated by the IUP Center for Civic Dialogue. Funded by a $2.29 million grant from the United States Department of Education, the center serves as both a physical and intellectual headquarters for civic dialogue and innovation at IUP.
Events will begin with the traditional public reading of the Constitution by members of the IUP community on September 14 from 12:30 to 1:45 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 eighteenth 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.
At 6:00 p.m. on September 14, the intentions of the authors of the US Constitution will be explored with “A Chat with the Founding Father: What Can We Learn About Disagreement” in Elkin Hall’s Great Room.
When the Constitution was written in 1787, Thomas Jefferson said that he didn’t expect it to last more than 20 years. At 239 years old, the US Constitution is the oldest continuous constitution in the world.
Constitution author James Madison, portrayed by history faculty member Joe Mannard from the IUP Department of History, Political Science, Philosophy, and Religious Studies, will discuss the work he and the founders did at the Constitutional Convention. Refreshments will be served.
“The delegates who gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 didn’t agree on much,” said Gwen Torges, political science associate professor and coordinator of IUP’s Constitution Day activities. She is a member of the IUP Center for Civic Dialogue Executive Leadership Team.
“They debated representation, executive power, slavery, and the balance between the states and the national government. Yet somehow, they left behind a framework for self-government that has endured for more than two centuries. What can we learn from them—not because they were perfect, but because they wrestled seriously with profound disagreements?”
During the Six O’Clock Series presentation, the faculty reenactor portraying James Madison will answer questions about the Constitution he and the founders helped to create, the compromises they made, the mistakes they recognized, and the challenges they left for future generations.
“Whether you’re a constitutional enthusiast or skeptical that people in powdered wigs have anything left to teach us, this discussion will explore what the nation’s founders can—and can’t—tell us about navigating disagreement in a constitutional democracy,” Torges said.
“The Constitutional Convention wasn’t a gathering of people who agreed with one another,” she said. “The delegates had profound disagreements about some of the most consequential issues facing the new nation. What’s interesting for us today is not just what they ultimately decided, but how they wrestled with those disagreements—and what we can learn from both their successes and their failures.”
“One of the goals of IUP’s new Center for Civic Dialogue is to create more opportunities for people to engage seriously with difficult questions, especially when they don’t agree. Constitution Day gives us a wonderful opportunity to do that. We can learn about the Constitution while also thinking about something just as important: how people in a democracy talk, listen, disagree, and still find ways to move forward together.”
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. IUP’s Impact 150 comprehensive campaign is designed to honor a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, public service, and leadership in healthcare education, including the first college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in the commonwealth.