|
People gather for picnics and fireworks on Independence Day, line up for parades or ceremonies on both Memorial and Veterans Days and enjoy a day of rest to celebrate the American labor movement on Labor Day. For those who call the United States of America “home,” certain traditions and celebrations of historical events are a part of their upbringing; however, many aren’t as familiar with Constitution Day, celebrated on September 17 each year, as it was legally established in 2004 by Senator Robert Byrd with the passage of an amendment to the omnibus spending bill, according to the Miscellaneous Appropriations and Offsets Act, 2005.
As is the case with many stories in history, the path to this day started long ago. Iowa schools originally recognized Constitution Day in 1911, and the Sons of the American Revolution formed a committee to promote the day in 1917, which included well-known names such as Calvin Coolidge, John D. Rockefeller and General John Pershing. For the 1939 New York World’s Fair, publicist Arthur Pine introduced the then-new original song “I am an American,” presented by a group of songwriters, on NBC, ABC and Mutual television stations and had a local New York newspaper tie-in with “I am an American Day” in the city. It became so successful that a newspaper chain compelled President Franklin D. Roosevelt to name it as an official day, and in 1940, Congress designated the third Sunday in May as “I am an American Day.”
The following year, Hungarian immigrant to the United States Mrs. A.B. (Clara) Vajda was recognized in the U.S. Congressional Record as the Founder of Citizenship Day on March 27, based on an act of charity by this foreign-born citizen, to recognize those who have attained American citizenship. Finally, in May 2005, the United States Department of Education mandated that publicly funded educational institutions and all federal agencies provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution on September 17, the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document, according to Title 36 of the United States Code, Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.
Pensacola State College campuses of Pensacola, Milton and Warrington will join in the day’s celebration with a myriad of engaging learning activities to challenge students and faculty/staff to test their knowledge of this important historical document. A campus-wide scavenger hunt (with a chance to win prizes), Constitutional trivia on campus TVs, and informational games like word finds and true/false trivia will keep the PSC community involved while all are encouraged to wear their most fashionable red, white and blue attire for the day to show their patriotism. When discussing the planning that has gone into making this day’s event memorable, Department Head of Humanities and Social Sciences Scott Schackmann stated, "Our primary goal in celebrating this day on our campuses is to remind students of their civic responsibilities and to provide an opportunity for them to learn and explore more about their rights and freedoms."
To learn even more about our country’s history, the department’s course American History to 1877 (AMH 2010) has now been designated as an additional option for the Civic Literacy Course requirement. For those who cannot fit that course into their academic schedules but want to study for the Florida Civic Literacy exam and have fun while doing so, join the department for the Civic Literacy Study Showdown quiz bowl on September 27 from 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Building 14, Room 1444. Student Devin Lowell participated in the first showdown this past summer and said, “I was the only student that had taken the FLCE after the showdown, so I had the room by myself and my proctor. Amazingly, I got a passing score on my exam with my second attempt; I cannot be any happier! It would not have been possible if it were not for this wonderful program.”
| 
