Purdue’s Ackerman Center to host Sept. 17 Constitution Day
A student volunteer answers questions about Purdue’s civics literacy graduation requirement. (Photo/Purdue University College of Education)
The tradition continues! Purdue University will officially celebrate Constitution Day on Sept. 17 in the Purdue Memorial Union to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787.
Hosted by the College of Education’s James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship, the event will include games, snacks, giveaways, and educational opportunities. The 20th annual Constitution Day will take place on the Purdue Memorial Union West Terrace on the ground floor (next to Walk-On’s Bistreaux) from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. A highlight is the Jeopardy! style Quiz Off competitions with Purdue students facing off at 11:30 a.m., followed by a celebrity competition at 12:30 p.m.
Purdue’s Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, by 39 of the original 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention.
The date also coincides with the federally declared “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day” signed into law by Congress in 2004. The law requires that “each education institution that receives federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an education program” about the Constitution annually on or near that date.
“Even with so many references to the Constitution in our public discourse, many of us don’t really have a working knowledge of the Constitution and what it contains,” said Anne Murphy-Kline, assistant director of the Ackerman Center. “Constitution Day is an opportunity to learn more about the relevance of our founding document while having fun and eating cookies. What could be better?”
The Ackerman Center has programs and resources for K-12 and community educators to implement powerful citizenship education that promotes active involvement in schools and communities. Come learn about and celebrate our amazing U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17!
About Purdue’s Constitution Day
In 2004, Congress passed a provision requiring all schools receiving federal funds to develop educational programs for students celebrating the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Congress declared Sept. 17th to be Constitution Day in an effort to increase the nation’s civic literacy. In 2005, Purdue’s then-President Martin Jischke invited the James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship to coordinate Purdue’s celebration of Constitution Day, and the Center has done so every year since (except during the COVID pandemic in 2020).
Source: Anne Murphy-Kline