Constitution Day on Campus

On Tuesday, Sept, 17th, at 12:30 a George Washington impersonator and professional historian gave a speech about the Constitution of the United States. Upon first arriving, a viewer is greeted with a range of seating and some red, white, and blue decorations on either side of the podium at which the “resurrected” first president would be orating. True to legend, the speech was impassioned and sounded as though it were truly coming from the lips of a man who not only cared about his country but those who sacrificed for and created it, almost as if he were there himself.

In the speech, a brief history of the Revolutionary War was disclosed, starting first at the philosophy behind the bill of rights (the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness which we are all familiar with) and ending with the war that lasted for roughly seven years (approximately 1775-1781). It was captivating to hear written records and accounts brought to life outside of the Lewis J. Ort Library, making the delivery of the speech that much more personal.

For once, history seemed to come alive and the sacrifices made became clear, like the fact that Washington in the whole of the war only had two months in absolute total to spend at home which makes it more understandable as to why he wanted to return to Mount Vernon and the view of the Potomac from the piazza so desperately. The end of the speech entailed an anecdote of how General Washington and Ben Franklin were the last two to leave the congressional hall after all the fighting was done and the supreme law of the land had been declared. The focus was set on the engraving on the back of Washington’s chair that depicted the face of the sun, something that never had much meaning until the realization hit him that that sun was not only present on the back of a chair but rising over the horizon of a great nation.

The Constitution is a crucial piece of the country’s history but is also vital for the nation to move forward. Often dubbed as a highly regarded blue print, the Constitution was originally written as an alternative to the Articles of Confederation which failed largely due to the fact that it didn’t unite the land the way a country is meant to be to survive. The Constitution is what is referred to as a living document because of it’s origin over two hundred years ago but its consistent relevance to today’s world due to the purposely used vague language. The Constitution is a unique piece of history that deserves its own time to shine, especially after all it took to put it into place both during and after the revolution. September 17th will always be known as Constitution Day not only to honor one of our fundamental building blocks but those who fought, thought, and thrived in order for it to be brought into creation.