By Justin M. Loveland, Outreach Intern
In 2004, Congress created Constitution Day – a day on which we can all celebrate our fundamental rights and responsibilities set forth by the U.S. Constitution. The same piece of legislation requires that all schools receiving federal funds teach something about the U.S. Constitution on September 17.
The law was spearheaded by Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), who was worried – and perhaps rightly so – that not enough Americans could list the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment, recall the number of senators there are, explain the three branches of government, or decide whether the Constitution establishes the United States as a Christian nation. For the record, it does not.
Sen. Byrd was likely dismayed by the fact that in 1997, only 5 percent of the public could accurately answer ten basic questions about the Constitution. The same poll by the National Constitution Center notes that more teens could name the Three Stooges than could name the three branches of government.
In honor of Constitution Day, the ACLU has launched a new website called Constitution Day, Brought To You By The ACLU. The online, youth-oriented, education program offers fun and informative games for middle school-aged students (grades 5 through 9), helpful resources for teachers, and general trivia about the Constitution. The site also houses the ACLU Constitution Day art contest in which school art programs can compete for $25,000 in prizes.
Last year’s grand prize winner was Hasten Hebrew Academy of Indianapolis, who won $10,000 for their wall of rights artwork. The $7,500 second place prize went to Sanford Middle School in Minneapolis, MN, and the third place $5,000 prize went to Argyle Middle School from Silver Spring, MD.