Stop by Kemp Library on Monday, Sept 18, 2023 to pick up a free pocket Constitution! Click this link or the image below for the online PDF version.
When: Monday, September 18 from 12-2 PM
Where: Kemp Library Lawn (Kemp Library Lobby if raining)
Commemorate Constitution Day at ESU's Kemp Library. Pick up a free pocket U.S. Constitution, enjoy a mini-cupcake, browse a new library book display, and enter the library swag giveaway, which includes a Kemp Library sweatshirt and hat. Co-sponsored by Kemp Library and ESU's chapter of the American Democracy Project.
National Constitution Day Conversations
Sep 15, 2023 02:00 PM
Celebrate the Constitution through a national interactive dialogue space, hosted by AASCU’s American Democracy Project.
Designed to reach across differences, the National Constitution Day Conversation creates a space for open discussion of the U.S. Constitution. This national facilitated dialogue is based on the fundamental value of the pursuit of knowledge for the public good.
The session will consist of a lively game, facilitated discussion, and a forum to share thoughts about the U.S. Constitution. We encourage AASCU institutions to share this opportunity on their campuses, as one way to meet the federal requirement to provide educational opportunities about Constitution Day.
The event is open to all higher education students, faculty, and staff. Bring your classes and student organizations, and join us on Friday, September 15 from 2:00-3:15 p.m. ET for this national dialogue.
Constitution Day 2023 – Actual Malice: Civil Rights and Freedom of the Press in New York Times v. Sullivan
Thursday, September 14th, 2023, at 3 p.m. EDT
Online - Register here.
University at Buffalo School of Law Professor Samantha Barbas will discuss her book, Actual Malice: Civil Rights and Freedom of the Press in New York Times v. Sullivan.
Learn more on the Law Library of Congress blog post.
Monday, September 18, 2023 at 8:30 AM
Online - Register here
Join the staff of the Constitution Center, live from iconic spots inside the museum, as we read the Preamble to the Constitution and explore the core principles at the heart of our democracy.
Monday, September 18, 2023 at 1:00 PM
Online - Register here
Students will join a discussion with Mary Beth Tinker. In 1969, at the age of 13-years-old, Tinker wore a black armband to school to protest the Vietnam War. A few other students, including her brother, joined her. The students were suspended for their actions; however, they believed their protest was a form of free speech. They took their case at the Supreme Court—and won. Tinker's story is highlighted in the Center’s new exhibit, The First Amendment.
Monday, September 18, 2023 at 2:00 PM
Online - Register here.
A group of notable Center scholars including William Allen, Colleen Sheehan, and Jonathan Gienapp join National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen for a discussion of the issues and events in early America that led to the Constitutional Convention. They’ll explore the major debates at the Convention and how those discussions shaped the future of the United States. Panelists will also discuss their careers as writers and historians, as well as answer questions from participants.
Monday, September 18, 2023 at 3:30 PM
Online - Register here
Happy Constitution Day! We’ll wrap up the day with a reading of the First Amendment to the Constitution, live from museum.
The History of Religious Liberty in America
Monday, September 18, 2023 at 6:30 PM
Online & in-person - Online Registration here
How did America’s founders view religious liberty? And what does it mean today? Join constitutional law experts Marci Hamilton, author of God vs. the Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law, and Michael McConnell, co-author of Agreeing to Disagree: How the Establishment Clause Protects Religious Diversity and Freedom of Conscience, for a special Constitution Day discussion to celebrate the opening of the Center’s new First Amendment gallery. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.
September 17, 2021 is Constitution Day! Commemorate it by reading the U.S. Constitution.
Signed on this day in 1787, the Constitution defines the framework of the Federal Government of the United States.
Constitution of the United States, National Archives
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
- Preamble to the United States Constitution
View the Constitution in the National Archives Catalog.
Read the transcript on the National Archives' America's Founding Documents website.
A More Perfect Union: The Creation of the U.S. Constitution, a history from the National Archives.
The Writing and Ratification of the U.S. Constitution: Practical Virtue in Action.
Vile, John R. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2012.
The Annotated U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence.
Rakove, Jack N. Harvard University Press, 2009.
American Epic : Reading the U.S. Constitution
Epps, Garrett. Oxford University Press, 2013.
Women and the U.S. Constitution : History, Interpretation, and Practice.
Schwarzenbach, Sibyl A. and Patricia Smith. Columbia University Press, 2003.
Dirck, Brian R. Southern Illinois University Press, 2012.
The Presidents and the Constitution : A Living History.
Gormley, Ken. NYU Press, 2016.
Search for additional e-books in EBSCO's eBook Academic Collection.
Cartoon Bank: a searchable website for cartoons published in The New Yorker.
Cartoon Prints, American: Library of Congress digital collection featuring over 500 prints of political art from the 18th and 19th centuries.
American Political Prints, 1766-1876: HarpWeek features political prints published in Harper's Weekly. You can browse by topic including,
HarpWeek's Cartoon of the Day: There are six cartoons featured under the "U.S. Constitution" topic.
The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. It spells out Americans’ rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, press, and religion.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution passed by Congress September 25, 1789 and was ratified on December 15, 1791.
"One of the ten amendments of the Bill of Rights, the First Amendment gives everyone residing in the United States the right to hear all sides of every issue and to make their own judgments about those issues without government interference or limitations. The First Amendment allows individuals to speak, publish, read and view what they wish, worship (or not worship) as they wish, associate with whomever they choose, and gather together to ask the government to make changes in the law or to correct the wrongs in society."
- First Amendment and Censorship, American Library Association.
Resources:
Clauses of the First Amendment
The National Constitution Center. “The National Constitution Center is the first and only institution in America established by Congress to ‘disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.”
First Amendment - Religion and Expression
FindLaw. “FindLaw, a Thomson Reuters business, providers consumers and lawyers with a range of case law, statutes, legal news, online career center, blogs and a variety of community-oriented tools."
The Bill of Rights. America's Founding Documents from the National Archives. Learn more about the Bill of Rights: What does it say? How did it happen? How was it made? and more!
Stop by Kemp Library to see the U.S. Constitution & Free Speech book display.
Books currently on display are available for check out! Ask for the book at the Circulation Desk.
Speech rights in America : the First Amendment, democracy, and the media.
Stein, Laura Lynn. University of Illinois Press, 2008.
Call number: On Display 302.23 St34s
A distant heritage : the growth of free speech in early America.
Eldridge, Larry D. New York University Press, 1994.
Call number: On Display 342.730853 EL24d
Also available online as an e-book.
We the students : Supreme Court cases for and about students.
Raskin, Jamin R. CQ Press, 2008.
Call Number: On Display 344.73079 R183w3
Censorship, Inc. : the corporate threat to free speech in the United States.
Soley, Lawrence C. Monthly Review Press, 2002.
Call number: On Display 323.443 So43c
Come to Kemp Library to see additional materials on display!
Freedom of Speech : The History of an Idea.
Powers, Elizabeth. Bucknell University Press, 2011.
The Soul of the First Amendment : Why Freedom of Speech Matters.
Abrams, Floyd. Yale University Press, 2017.
African Americans and the First Amendment : The Case for Liberty and Equality.
Shiell, Timothy C. SUNY Press, 2019.
An Indispensable Liberty : The Fight for Free Speech in Nineteenth-Century America.
Cronin, Mary M. Southern Illinois University Press, 2016.
Unlearning Liberty : Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate.
Lukianoff, Greg. Encounter Books, 2014.
Free Speech and Human Dignity.
Heyman, Steven J. Yale University Press, 2008.
Search for additional e-books in EBSCO's eBook Academic Collection.
A look at the First Amendment: freedom of speech and religion.
Conway, John Richard. MyReportLinks.com Books, 2009.
Call number: Children's Collection 342.73 Con
Book currently on display! Ask at the Circulation Desk.
In defense of liberty: the story of America's Bill of Rights
Freedman, Russell. Holiday House, 2003.
Call number: Children's Collection 342.73 Fre
Book currently on display! Ask at the Circulation Desk.
A look at the Bill of Rights: protecting the rights of Americans.
Graham, Amy. Enslow Publishers, 2008
Call number: Children's Collection 342.73 Gra
Stop by Kemp Library this week (Sept 12-17, 2022) to pick up a free pocket Constitution. You can also click on the image above for the PDF version.
Learn more about virtual events for Constitution Day on the Constitution Day 2021 page.
View the 2020 virtual exhibit on the 19th Amendment and Voting Rights. See the Constitution Day 2020 page.