What is Constitution Day?
Taylor Whitaker - Staff Writer
Since 1787, September 17 commemorates the day the United States Constitution was signed. A law, signed in 2004, established the day as Constitution Day. The act mandated all publicly funded educational institutions, and all federal agencies, to provide educational awareness on the history of the Constitution.
Additionally, the United States Department of Education announced in 2005, when the law was enacted, that to receive any federal funding, these educational facilities would participate in educational awareness. Annually, teachers and professors across the country pick a relevant topic to present that fulfills their federal obligations to the laws surrounding Constitution Day.
At Monmouth College, Political Science Professor Jessica Vivian and History Professor Valerie Deisinger held a Constitution Day presentation in the Morgan Room of Poling Hall about the Supreme Court. “Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the United States Constitution. The college's annual event provides a great opportunity for the campus community to engage in discussion about constitutional matters,” said Deisinger.
In brief, Vivian and Deisinger spoke about the Supreme Court’s history, the problems citizens recognize within it, and potential reformative proposals. Their research found that the Supreme Court has a foundation of legitimacy, but the Constitution does not establish a basis for the Court to enforce the decisions it makes. Without legitimacy, the Supreme Court would have no authority for the people to submit to, and thus, the Courts would fail.
The Constitution, the blueprint for all policies, laws, and court rulings, has shaped our society since its signing 237 years ago. It isn’t just important, but a duty to remember Constitution Day as a day that honors the document vital to our American rights and freedoms for centuries.