Texas A&M University proudly showcases a weeklong celebration to mark the 231st anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution. Born of dedication and service to country, the document was signed Sept. 17, 1787 and guarantees the freedoms that allow students across the country to flourish and learn. Texas A&M joins citizens, teachers and students to honor the founding document that so richly prepared America for success. Please join us for celebrations planned throughout the week of Sept. 17 through Sept. 23.
Constitution Week events include:
Constitution Week: Sept. 17 – 23
- University Libraries are featuring a display on the Constitution, sharing a Constitution Guide on the Library website, and offering copies of the Constitution.
Saturday, Sept. 15
- The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band showcases patriotic music and excerpts from the Preamble to the Constitution during the halftime show at the UL – Monroe game.
Monday, Sept. 17, Constitution Day
- 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. – The first 50 visitors to the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum receive pocket-sized editions of Constitution.
- 3 p.m. – Texas A&M University will join with institutions across the nation in “Bells Across America,” playing patriotic music on the Albritton Carillon.
- 11:30 p.m. – KAMU-TV airs Inventing America: Making a Nation, highlighting enactments of Founding Fathers Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams discussing the lead-up to the Declaration of Independence.
Tuesday, Sept. 18
- 11:30 a.m. – KAMU-TV broadcasts Inventing America: Making a Government, portraying the Founding Fathers telling the story behind four months that changed the world, known today as the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
Wednesday, Sept. 19
- 7 p.m. – The Wiley Lecture Series presents Cruel and Unusual Punishment: A Constitutional Answer, a discussion on the death penalty and prison conditions as they relate to the Eighth Amendment. A panel of experts examines the balance between our commitment to both the Eighth Amendment and criminal justice. A Q&A will follow, and the event is free and open to the public in Rudder 401.
- 11:30 p.m. – KAMU-TV airs Inventing America: Liberty for All, revealing the inside story about the conflicts and infighting behind the new U.S. Constitution and how that led to the Bill of Rights.
Thursday, Sept. 20
- 1 p.m. – The University Libraries Diversity Advancement Committee presents a free screening of “13,” an award-winning documentary by Ava DuVernay about the history and effects of the Thirteenth Amendment Constitution; Evans Library Room 204E.
Sunday, Sept. 23
- 12:00 a.m. (midnight) – 3 a.m. – KAMU-TV airs encore episodes of Inventing America including Making a Nation, Making a Government and Liberty for All.
Learn more about Constitution Week at Texas A&M on the Office of the Provost website.
About Constitution Day
On May 24, 2005, the Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement in the U.S. Department of Education announced that, pursuant to legislation passed by Congress, educational institutions receiving federal funding are required to hold an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution on September 17 of each year.
The Provost’s Office worked in concert with the Faculty Senate, the Student Government Association, and the branch campuses in Galveston and Qatar to develop an annual program to recognize Constitution Week. In 2007, the College Station campus began a cooperative relationship with the La Villita Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution to recognize Constitution Week on the A&M campus and in the Bryan-College Station community.
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