The Seahawk

Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: Op/Ed

Sept. 17, 1787, our country's founding fathers signed the US Constitution as the governing decree of the land.

Since 2004, public schools that receive federal funding are required by law to honor and educate students about the Constitution and what it means to be an American citizen.

This judicious attempt at recognizing a pivotal day in American history leaves many educators scratching their heads in search of ways to commemorate the holiday.

This year, UNCW's Evolution Learning Committee invited Cornelia Dean, senior writer in the science department of the New York Times, to speak on "God, Darwin, and the American Constitution."

I am certain a majority of students can't tell you what UNCW has done in past years to observe this day, and I can't promise you that they'll remember next year either. I find that most of my knowledge of the Constitution comes from a sparse recollection of history classes and way too many games of Trivial Pursuit.

Of course, everyone has to learn a little bit about the founding doctrine of this country during his or her middle school American history class; however, the North Carolina state curriculum is shallow and barely scratches the surface of how or why these sanctified words affect us as citizens.

It has been drilled in our heads for years that this document laid the foundation for 220 years of societal progress, but the fact remains that most people know only a little about the important document and what it means for the citizens of this country.

Try to answer these questions (without cheating). If you correctly answer all five, consider yourself a fortunate American who understands the value of our inalienable rights. If you are unable to answer these questions, perhaps you should take a few minutes this week and brush up on these rights and knowledge you and I so easily take for granted.

Question 1:

Who is known as "The Father of the Constitution?"

Question 2:

The first ten Amendments are also known as what?

Question 3:

What are the five freedoms cited in the first amendment?

Question 4:

Amendment 26 changed the voting age from __to__ years old?

Question 5:

In what year was Amendment 13 added to abolish slavery?


We are locked in a time when Constitutional issues are more prevalent than ever. The allocation of government power, privacy, voting and free speech are everyday topics that receive national attention. It is our duty as Americans to not only be well versed in our rights but to challenge establishment when those rights are violated.

There are a million different ways to interpret the Constitution, and although times were significantly different in 1787, the implications of the carefully chosen words that shaped the past 220 years of American history remain the same.

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