IUP will celebrate Constitution Day on Monday, September 15,
2014, with two events free and open to the public.
This will be the
ninth annual observance of the day in 1787 when the final draft of the U.S.
Constitution was signed and sent to the states for review and ratification.
Everyone on campus and in the community is enthusiastically invited to attend
and celebrate the 227th birthday of the Constitution.
Public Reading of
the U.S. Constitution
- 12:00 to 1:00
p.m., Monday, September 15
- In front of
Stapleton Library, facing the Oak Grove
Join with
students, staff, faculty, and the community in a public reading of the
Constitution. Starting with the Preamble and concluding with the 27th
Amendment, we’ll bring the words of this venerated document to life. If
you have never heard the Constitution read aloud, prepare to be moved. Be
one of the first 100 people to arrive, and you can read part of
the Constitution and receive a pocket-sized copy of the Constitution, a
“We the People at IUP” t-shirt, and a star-shaped cookie.
Chat with the
Founding Fathers
- 6:00 to 7:30
p.m., Monday, September 15
- HUB Ohio Room
Enjoy—and
participate in—a conversation with four of the framers of the Constitution: Ben
Franklin, Charles Pinckney, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, portrayed,
respectively, by political science professors David Chambers, Dighton “Mac”
Fiddner, and Steven Jackson and History professor Joe Mannard.
Learn what
the framers were thinking when they wrote the U.S. Constitution, as well
as how they might view contemporary constitutional challenges.
The presentation
is part of IUP’s Six O’Clock Series, cosponsored by the Center for Student Life.
“Everyone likes to
say what an important, almost sacred, document the U.S. Constitution is,” Gwen
Torges, Political Science professor and Constitution Day event organizer, said.
“But survey research suggests that most Americans haven’t read the Constitution
and don’t have a clear idea of just what’s in it.
“The commemoration
of Constitution Day provides an ideal opportunity to take a closer look at how
our government is structured and what powers it does—or doesn’t—have. In the
past, these events have generated a surprising level of interest and discussion
about just what the Founding Fathers were thinking and what they hoped to
achieve in writing the Constitution.”