176. Constitution Day 2020
For those of you not in the United States, we encourage you to look at the workshop and see how it applies to our mutual world citizenship through working the 3 areas:
- Who are ‘we the people’?
- What do we say ‘no’ to?
- What are our rights?
September 17 is Constitution Day here in the U.S. It is intended to commemorate the forming and signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787. Public schools observe this day by providing historical context for the Constitution, exploring both the ‘letter’ and ‘spirit’ of the document, and its relevance today.
The USA is meant to be a Constitutional Democracy, with three co-equal branches of government that keep each other in check, so that no branch can violate the ordained limits of its authority. It is important for future generations to understand just how remarkable that is. Even more important is the preservation and continuance of this principle.
The Talking Hands Talking Feet song and workshop “We the People” provides a platform for learning about the Constitution in a heartfelt way. It is a marvelous way to kindle a feeling of civic engagement, passion and responsibility in young lives.
The Constitution is a living, imperfect document, meant to be understood, updated, defended, amended and embraced in the context of our times. It is designed to be a recourse against hypocrisy. Here is an opportunity to engage in a very real and relevant activity regarding the foundational principles of the United States of America as a generous and compassionate agency of care, respect, justice, honor and human dignity.
One anagram of the name ‘America’, is ‘I am care’.
We hope you and your students enjoy this valuable Constitution Day activity.
