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Constitution Day
Observed annually since 1952, Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution, which occurred in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 17, 1787.
The Constitution, a uniquely American document, implements the ideals contained in the Declaration of Independence and sets the stage for the guarantees contained in the Bill of Rights. Sept. 17, 2023, marks the 236th anniversary of the signing of this enduring document.
Recognizing the Constitution’s supreme importance to our nation, Congress passed a law in 2004 requiring every federal agency to provide each employee with educational and training materials concerning the Constitution on Sept. 17. Additionally, Congress declared that all educational institutions receiving federal funds should hold a program for students each Sept. 17.
Images of the U.S. Constitution from National Archives and Records Administration
The Constitution in Wartime: 2023 Event
The theme for the 2023 Constitution Day commemoration is The Constitution in Wartime. In acknowledgement of the 20th anniversary of the 2nd Iraq War, and with the support of the Jackson-Hope Board, VMI will hold a Constitution Day discussion on the evening of Monday, September 18 from 7:45 - 9 p.m. in Gillis Theater.
The discussion will center around how the U.S. Constitution has evolved and been challenged during wartime. In particular, the conversation will focus on two constitutional issues that often arise during wars: executive power and civil liberties. Though we take the War on Terror as our jumping off point, the event will consider these questions from the founding to the present.
Our guest speakers are noted experts in these subjects.
Chris Edelson, JD
Assistant Professor, Department of Government
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
Area of Expertise: Executive Power During Wartime
Chris Edelson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Government at American University. His teaching and research interests focus on presidential national security power under the U.S. Constitution. His first book, Emergency Presidential Power: From the Drafting of the Constitution to the War on Terror, was published by the University of Wisconsin Press in fall 2013. His second book, Power Without Constraint: The Post 9/11 Presidency and National Security was published in spring 2016.
Dr. Stewart Winger
Associate Professor, Department of History
ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY
Area of Expertise: Executive Power During Wartime
Stewart Winger is Associate Professor of History at Illinoi State University, where he teaches courses in Civil War and Reconstruction, American Religious History, U.S. Legal and Constitutional History, and U.S. Economic History. He is the editor of Ex Parte Milligan Reconsidered: Race and Civil Liberties from the Lincoln Administration to the War on Terror (University Press of Kansas, 2020). He is also writing a book entitled The Fostering Care of Government: Abraham Lincoln and Internal Improvements.
Thank you to the Jackson-Hope Board for their generous funding of this event and upcoming events through 2027.
The Constitution
Under America’s first national government, the Articles of Confederation, the United States was organized as a loose confederation of states with a weak federal government that could neither impose taxes nor regulate foreign trade and interstate commerce. The Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation in 1787, pulled those states together into a unified nation.
The National Archives, the organization charged with maintaining the records of the federal government, provides a number of online resources concerning our nation’s founding documents. At this website, you can read the Constitution, as well as articles describing its creation, information on the framers, and how the document was prepared for signature by delegates to the Constitutional Convention. The Library of Congress also provides researchers access to 277 documents relating to the work of Congress and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution.
Photograph of the Mural, The Constitution, by Barry Faulkner, 10/27/1936, National Archives and Records Administration
Interactive Constitution
The National Constitution Center provides a number of online resources as well as resources and exhibits at its location in Philadelphia.
As the Center says on its website, “The National Constitution Center is the first and only institution in America established by Congress to ‘disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a nonpartisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.’ The Constitution Center brings the United States Constitution to life by hosting interactive exhibits and constitutional conversations and inspires active citizenship by celebrating the American constitutional tradition.”
VMI Course Focuses on the Constitution
Established in fall 2020, History 300, the American Civic Experience, is meant to give cadets a framework for understanding and discussing constitutional issues from the late 18th century to the present day. Efforts to build a new course began approximately three years ago when members of the Board of Visitors asked how cadets learned about the Constitution. The answer was that while cadets taking U.S. history classes learn much about the Constitution, not all cadets take those classes—so there was an excellent opportunity to develop a new course.
“Since VMI develops citizen-soldiers, we believe cadets should be well-grounded in their understanding of the Constitution, much more than a superficial memorization of the document,” said Brig. Gen. Robert “Bob” Moreschi, deputy superintendent for academics and dean of the faculty.
Learn more about the launch of this course in the September 2020 edition of the Institute Report.