Explore the Constitution at Great Hearts Constitution Day

Great Hearts InstitutionGreat Hearts Institution September 4, 2024 -

Each year on Constitution Day, we pause to reflect on the document that serves as the foundation of American democracy. Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine courageous men on September 17, 1787. This year, the Great Hearts Institute is honored to invite the community to its inaugural Constitution Day Address, a free event designed to deepen our understanding of this historic document and its continued impact on our lives.

The address will take place on September 18 at 5:30 p.m. in the Lund Center at Veritas Preparatory Academy. Although the officially recognized Constitution Day falls on September 17, the Great Hearts community will gather the following day to hear from Andrew Porwancher, a distinguished professor from Arizona State University’s School of Civic & Economic Thought & Leadership. His lecture, titled “The Constitution: Hidden Truths and Enduring Myths,” promises to be a thought-provoking exploration of the Constitution’s lesser-known aspects.

This address, generously supported by the Jack Miller Center, is open to the public and free of charge. It offers a unique opportunity to engage with the historical conversations that continue to shape our nation’s future. And as an added bonus, the Jack Miller Center is also supplying a FREE Pocket Constitution and Declaration of Independence to the first 100 attendees. This compact booklet containing the U.S. constitution is designed to fit in your pocket and take this piece of history with you throughout the day.

There will be a hosted reception following the address with light snacks and beverages. Families and individuals interested in attending the event are strongly encouraged to register for the event so the proper accommodations can be prepared ahead of time. Please register below:

Porwancher’s address will speak to the historical nuances of the Constitution, challenging popular understandings and shedding light on the intentions of the framers. As he explains, “The Constitution is not merely academic. It shapes our lives and liberties today. But popular understandings of the Constitution often neglect the historical record. What did the framers really mean by the Establishment Clause? What little-known constitutional clause did even more than the First Amendment to shape religious liberty in America? What can the peculiar origins of the Second Amendment teach us about gun rights? This lecture will explore historical evidence that can help us refine constitutional debates as old as the republic itself.”

“Today, we are over 200 years into the American experiment, which the Framers initiated during the summer of 1787 when they drafted a new Constitution for the United States,” explained Carol McNamara, Director of the Great Hearts Institute. “On September 17, they signed the final document, which they would send out to the 13 states for ratification, which was anything but certain. The signatures on that document were the final steps in the creation of a constitutional experiment that has informed and protected the democratic republican principles of the United States of America.”

McNamara further highlighted the ongoing importance of Constitution Day. “We remember and discuss the Constitution each year on ‘Constitution Day,’ the day of the signing, to remind ourselves that while the United States enjoys a stable republican government, political liberty is always fragile and requires study and attentiveness for it to endure,” she said.

“Our speaker, Professor Porwancher, will help us understand more fully how the historical record of the framers’ debates about the provisions of the Constitution continues to inform and shape our own debates about the way of life the Constitution created for us in the United States today,” added McNamara.

Join the Great Hearts community on September 18 at 5:30 p.m. in the Lund Center at Veritas Preparatory Academy for an enlightening evening that will deepen your understanding of the U.S. Constitution and its enduring relevance in our lives.

Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts? Please contact jason.moore@greathearts.org.