During the colonial years, our founding fathers sought to create a defining document that would unite the newly formed union under the banner of freedom and clearly outline its governing functions.
On September 17, 1787, 39 members of the Committee of Detail, led by George Washington, signed the newly penned United States Constitution, sending it to the states to be ratified.
The Constitution is distinguished by its revolutionary opening clause of “We the people,” representing the writers’ intention to appeal foremost to the needs and desires of the citizens.
Games and Fun to Educate Students
The Constitution is highly valued in American culture and was honored at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, to mark the 237th anniversary of its initial signing at the Constitutional Convention.
The document and the freedoms it upholds were commemorated through a friendly competition hosted by PBA’s LeMieux Center for Public Policy and Associate Professor of Politics, Dr. James Todd.
Dr. Todd and LeMieux Center intern and politics and prelaw double major Avery Neal, described the event as an opportunity to “publicly recognize” the Constitution through “involving [the] community.”
This student engagement was fostered by providing students with the opportunity to put their Constitutional I.Q. to the ultimate test, going toe to toe with Dr. Todd himself in a game of freedom-themed trivia.
Dr. Todd was happy to report that he emerged victorious in each patriotic crucible.
“[I had] about six worthy opponents… I beat them all,” which, he shared, led to the switch to a “more fun,” “student versus students” format.
In accordance, Neal described Constitution Day as an enjoyable time of “camaraderie.”
“We really wanted to put an emphasis on the importance of the Constitution, while making it fun through competition,” Neal added.
The Constitution: A Document of the Utmost Importance
To further explain the “extreme importance” of the Constitution, Dr. Todd shared that he believes it to possess the necessary power to “structure the government that rules over us.”
“It’s a serious matter what kind of government [we are] going to have, [as well as] what will be the people’s role in it,” he stated earnestly.
“The Constitution is a protection of our rights as Americans and [a representation] of what we stand for in this country,” added Neal.
To learn more about PBA’s politics program, visit:
https://www.pba.edu/academics/schools/centers-of-excellence/lemieux/
To learn more about PBA’s LeMieux Center for Public Policy, visit:
