On The Front Lines
In Recognition of Constitution Day, The Rutherford Institute Challenges All Americans to Read U.S. Constitution
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- In recognition of Constitution Day, The Rutherford Institute is calling on all Americans to read the document that one historian described as "the owners' manual to the greatest form of government the world has ever known." To assist those who accept this challenge, the Institute has committed to send a free pocket-sized copy of the Constitution or its Do You Know the Bill of Rights pamphlet to any individual who requests one. Under a 2005 spending bill, any school that receives federal dollars must hold an educational program about the U.S. Constitution on Constitution Day, Sept. 17, the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution.
"Thomas Jefferson once said that 'eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.' That vigilance must begin with an understanding of the rights enshrined in our Constitution," stated John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of The Change Manifesto. "Only by understanding what our rights are can we hope to safeguard them for future generations. All Americans, from the smallest student right up to the president of the United States of America needs to read the Constitution at least once in their lives. Government leaders should read it at least once a year."
Surveys illustrate the need to better educate the public about their constitutional rights. For example, one survey that was commissioned by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation found that nearly three-fourths of high school students either do not know how they feel about the First Amendment or admit they take it for granted. Another survey commissioned by the First Amendment Center reported that when asked to name specific rights guaranteed by the First Amendment, only 20% of those surveyed named freedom of religion, while 16% named freedom of the press. According to the Harris Poll, which was commissioned by the American Bar Association, fewer than half of Americans can correctly identify the meaning of separation of powers; more than one in five identified the three branches of government as Republican, Democrat and Independent; and nearly 30 percent said they believe the judicial branch advises the president and Congress about the legality of an action before they take it.
Yet as Whitehead pointed out in recent testimony to the Constitution Subcommittee, and as he reminds readers in his new book, The Change Manifesto, "The Constitution provides us with the blueprint for maintaining a balanced republic, and it must always be the starting point. Each of us, from public officials to citizens, has an affirmative duty to hold our government accountable. We must remember that despite the incredible powers the President has claimed, the U.S. Supreme Court has the power to overrule the Chief Executive. And Congress, if it exercises constitutional oversight, can limit both presidential actions and Supreme Court decisions. However, in the end, it is still the people who hold the ultimate power, and with it the concomitant responsibility, to maintain our freedoms."
Press Contact
,
