On December 8, 2004, Congress passed Public Law 108-447, which included a provision mandating that all levels of education receiving federal funding educate their students about the U.S. Constitution on or around Sept. 17, the anniversary of the signing of the document known as Constitution Day.
To expand upon what the schools are doing, the national organization Liberty Day, which spreads information and educational materials about the Constitution and Declaration of Independence across the country and is headquartered in Colorado, is putting on a statewide “celebration,” organized by Andy McKean, President of Liberty Day, and myself, at the University of Colorado at Denver on Saturday, Sept. 15 with the express purpose of “educat[ing] students on the contents of the Constitution, the greatness of our government system, and our rights and responsibilities as Americans and [inspiring] them to action in a fun, interactive, and engaging manner.” It is intended for teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18.
The event will include several parts: two seminars, breakout sessions, and activities, with a mock student Supreme Court Oral Argument presentation, voting machine demonstrations, and more. I think we’ve developed a structure which should succeed in both educating the students on the Constitution and maintaining interest throughout the day.
“The Constitution Day Celebration program and line-up of speakers is quite impressive!” Colorado Commissioner of Education Dwight Jones praised in a letter of support he sent to me. The speakers include, but are not limited to, Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman, State Senator Nancy Spence, Benjamin Franklin (played by comedian Jimmie Viles), and motivational speaker Mark McIntosh, cohost of 9News’s Colorado and Company. It will also include a student debate on the Constitution and a debate between former State Senate President John Andrews and a Democrat who has yet to be determined.
The Constitution itself is not a partisan document; rather, it’s the interpretations and ideas surrounding the Constitution that can be partisan. It’s meant for everyone. Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative—it doesn’t matter. Therefore, our goal with the Constitution Day Celebration is to put forth a nonpartisan experience to ensure a complete education, and so we’re doing our best to reach out to all major political parties to achieve that goal. We have great participation and support from Republicans; however, we do not have the same participation yet from Democrats but are asking for their support and participation over the coming week.
Our objective is to achieve 50-200 student attendees. Those students who participate in the event will be eligible for one credit hour of transferable UCD credit; all they’ll have to do after that is pay the school a $50 fee and complete a paper. One whole college credit for just one day of an event, a paper, and a small fee? Talk about a bargain!
This experience promises to be a great constitutional experience for teenagers, and I strongly encourage all teens to come and experience it for themselves and ask that all schools and educators inform their students about this excellent opportunity. It is certainly not an opportunity to pass up.
