VSU Commemorates Signing of U.S. Constitution with Series of Special Events

Valdosta State University will observe Constitution Week Sept. 17-23 with a series of special events presented by Odum Library and the Department of Political Science in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. All of the events are free of charge and open to the public. Jeremy Baker, judge of the Municipal Court of Valdosta

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University will observe Constitution Week Sept. 17-23 with a series of special events presented by Odum Library and the Department of Political Science in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

All of the events are free of charge and open to the public.

Keynote Address: “Law Today, Law Tomorrow, and the Law Every Day”

Judge Jeremy Baker will deliver the Constitution Week keynote address — “Law Today, Law Tomorrow, and the Law Every Day” — from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 19, in the Odum Library Auditorium.

Baker was sworn in as judge of the Municipal Court of Valdosta in April 2021. He is a Valdosta native and a VSU alumnus who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religious Studies and a Minor in Political Science in 2007. He was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 2011 and previously served as senior district attorney for the Southern Judicial Circuit and as an associate attorney for Coleman Talley LLP.

Constitution Read Aloud and Voter Registration

Campus and community volunteers will read the Constitution from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20, in the Odum Library Auditorium. Guests will have an opportunity to take home a pocket-sized version of this important document, while supplies last.

The VSU Student Government Association, American Association of University Women, and other campus organizations will host voter registration drives. The last day to register to vote in the upcoming General Election / Special Election in Georgia is Oct. 11. Election Day is Nov. 8.

Faculty Roundtable: “The Overruling of Roe v. Wade”

The Department of Political Science will host a roundtable discussion — “Roe v. Wade: What Happens Next and What Does That Mean to Me” — from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21, in the Odum Library Auditorium. This roundtable discussion will feature faculty from VSU’s Department of History, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Department of Political Science, and Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice.

Student Roundtable: “Our Republic Must Endure”

The Department of Political Science will host a student-led roundtable conversation — “Our Republic Must Endure: What Voters Should Know About the New Georgia Election Law” — from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22, in the Odum Library Auditorium.

The Constitution of the United States established America's national government and fundamental laws and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. It was signed on Sept. 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. It was ratified by the necessary nine states the following year.

The U.S. Constitution may be read online at the National Archives website at https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript. An interactive Constitution is available at https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution courtesy of the National Constitution Center.

On the Web:

https://www.valdosta.edu/polsci/

https://www.valdosta.edu/academics/library/

Constitution Fast Facts

• The U.S. Constitution was written in the same Pennsylvania State House where the Declaration of Independence was signed and where George Washington received his commission as commander of the Continental Army. Now called Independent Hall, the building still stands today on Independent Mall in Philadelphia, directly across from the National Constitution Center.

• Written in 1787, the Constitution was signed on Sept. 17. But it wasn’t until 1788 that it was ratified by the necessary nine states. 


• The U.S. Constitution was prepared in secret, behind locked doors that were guarded by sentries. 


• Some of the original framers and many delegates in the state ratifying conventions were very troubled that the original Constitution lacked a description of individual rights. In 1791, Americans added a list of rights to the Constitution. The first 10 amendments became known as the Bill of Rights. 


• Of the 55 delegates attending the Constitutional Convention, 39 signed and three dissented. Two of America’s “founding fathers” didn’t sign the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson was representing his country in France, and John Adams was doing the same in Great Britain. 


• Established on Nov. 26, 1789, the first national “Thanksgiving Day” was originally created by George Washington as a way of “giving thanks” for the Constitution. 


• Of the written national constitutions, the U.S. Constitution is the oldest and shortest. 


• At 81, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania was the oldest delegate at the Constitutional Convention, and at 26, Jonathon Dayton of New Jersey was the youngest. 


• The original Constitution is on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, it was moved to Fort Knox for safekeeping. 


• More than 11,000 amendments have been introduced in Congress. Thirty-three have gone to the states to be ratified, and 27 have received the necessary approval from the states to actually become amendments to the Constitution.