POLITICS: September 17th Constitution Day, page 1

kenshiro2012

posted on Sep, 16 2005 @ 09:36 AM

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Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia attached an amendment to a Federal funding bill in 2004 that designated September 17th as Constitution Day. This amendment requires that all educational facilities that receive federal funds must teach about the Constitution on (or around) September 17th. There is no set structure on what or how this education is to take place. It is being viewed by all as being serious or humorous.
Such activities and contests are being run throughout the US to promote the Constitution Day. Activities such as a contest where the prize is pizza for a year for the best essay on the Constitution, to Vanderbilt University holding forums to discuss if the Congress has breached the Constitution for violating Freedom of Speech by ordering that the Constitution Day and the education of the Constitution being taught.

abcnews.go.com
For the first time, every school and college receiving federal money must teach about the Constitution on Sept. 17, the day the document was adopted in 1787.So Susan Vert, who works in the school's admissions office, came up with a flier that explains the Constitution and encourages students to quiz each about their knowledge of it."This is something that people take for granted," she said. "People who go through the naturalization process end up knowing more than citizens who have lived their whole lives here, and that's terrible."

Nationwide, millions of students are under orders to study the Constitution, the document that underpins the country's democracy, its way of life and its political debate.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

I remember studying the Constitution and what it means when I went through school many years ago. My wife who is a naturalized citizen of the US knows more about the US Constitution than my son and even his teachers!
Perhaps moves like this will lessen the number of Jay Walkers (reference to Jay Leno of the Tonight Show) who have absolutely no idea of what the Constitution is much less than what it stands for!
How many of the Americans on this board are familiar with the Constitution as well as what it contains and what it stands for?

Related News Links:
www.constitutionday.us
www.civiced.org
www.archives.gov
www.law.cornell.edu

soficrow

posted on Sep, 16 2005 @ 09:58 AM

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Good find.

And watta thought! Actually teaching Americans about their Constitutional Rights. Hmmm. Maybe that's not such a good idea after all. They might figure out what they're losing...

Valhall

posted on Sep, 16 2005 @ 11:22 AM

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Great idea!

Two thumbs up to Senator Byrd.

marg6043

posted on Sep, 16 2005 @ 11:32 AM

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I know that the constitution preamble is teach in 4Th grade but beside that I have not clue.

Children are encouraged to memorize it and recite it in class.

I think is a great Idea, after all it is the most important document in the history of our country.

Odium

posted on Sep, 16 2005 @ 01:22 PM

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One slight problem:

The Constitution is open to interpretation - speaking as someone who studies law - this could lead to many problems, if it isn't taught properly.

I've seen such bias in class-rooms that people never understand the truth of the law and I fear this could happen here as well.

Hopefully, they will just learn what it says and allow them to make their own interpretation of the law.