Constitution Day pits Founding Fathers against Bill Gates
Students gave speeches and handed out pamphlets on the Patio in honor of Constitution Day Friday afternoon in accordance with a new law authorized in December 2004.
The law, part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, states that “each educational institution that receives federal funds … shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on Sept. 17.”
Constitution Day, also called Citizenship Day, is to be held in honor of the signing of the Constitution on that day in 1787. “Educational and training materials concerning the U.S. Constitution” are also required to be distributed to new employees as part of orientation and to all employees on Sept. 17 of each year.
Nate Putnam, executive vice president of ASUSU, said he was only informed of the new requirements three weeks ago and had to find funding for the event. The money had to be taken out of the year’s planned budget.
Schools all across the country held their own commemorations of the Constitution on Friday.
At USU, students could hear other students speak on the Constitution from a platform on the patio. Anyone who could recite the Preamble to the Constitution won a Constitution Day T-shirt. They could even sign the Constitution themselves at a table next to a large display of the document.
The speakers attempted to underscore the significance of the Constitution. Scott Dewey of the College Republicans urged students to read the founding documents, such as the Federalist Papers and the Declaration of Independence, to gain an understanding of the original intent of America’s forefathers.
Johanna Carling, president of the College Democrats, spoke on Thomas Jefferson and the need to view the Constitution flexibly.
“We live in a different time than our great forefathers,” she said. “I suspect that they would be appalled that although our society has changed drastically since 1787, we are still governed by a document created for people living in 1787.”
Peter McNamara, a professor in the political science department, spoke about the signing of the Constitution and James Madison’s role in it. Madison is considered the “Father of the Constitution” and took extensive notes on the Constitutional Convention.
“Madison was the chronicler of the convention because he believed it solved a problem not solved by any governing system in the world – to establish a republican government over a large area,” McNamara said. “It had never been successful; there were no good models.”
ASUSU gave a survey at the celebration testing students’ knowledge of U.S. government and pop culture. The survey asked about subjects ranging from the number of band members in the Beatles to the names of the three branches of government.
According to the results, 29 percent knew James Madison is considered the father of the Constitution and 96 percent knew Bill Gates is the founder of Microsoft.
Still, according to the survey’s results, USU students are better informed than the national average. In the national results of a similar survey, only 1.8 percent knew who the father of the Constitution was, compared to 58.3 percent who knew Bill Gates.
-ella@cc.usu.edu