Cohen: Constitution Day deserves more recognition
It celebrates the most important document in American history, yet no one knows about it
By Ben Cohen
Tuesday, October 9th, 2007
Quick, when is National Talk Like a Pirate Day?
Sept. 19, of course. The Underground gave people discounts that day if they threw in an “avast” or “yar” while paying for their food. How about Halloween? Oct. 31, the day we used to put on cheap costumes and not only received candy from strangers, but in fact demanded it. Now how about this one: Constitution Day. I admit, I didn’t know before this year that it was Sept. 17, let alone that it even existed. Of all the things we celebrate, the document that basically lays out everything that distinguishes America from the rest of the world should be at or around the top of the list. So why, if it has its own federal holiday, do so few people know about it? The Dole Center did a decent job of publicizing various Constitution Day-related events this year, which helped a bit, but that was all. No “Happy Constitution Day” cards, no massive clearance sales down at the nearest strip mall, nothing like that.
Let’s look at the Constitution for a moment, shall we? It’s an old, but still popular, document essentially saying the government either can’t do something to people, or must do something. The First Amendment grants a number of things that we sometimes take for granted. Freedom of speech lets us criticize our government in ways many civilizations throughout history would consider absurd, making this democracy that much more legitimate, even if it does also allow everyone from Ann Coulter to Ward Churchill to spew out verbal garbage day-in and day-out. That one amendment also gives us a free press, so that thoughtful, intelligent columnists can try to convince everyone that what they think is important on a biweekly basis. It also lets us freely exercise religion, but doesn’t say which one we have to practice. Flying Spaghetti Monster enthusiasts, this one is for you.
Continue perusing the document, and look what else you’ll find. Need to feel more manly? The Second Amendment lets you own a gun! Got a skeleton in your closet? The Fifth Amendment makes it awfully difficult for people to make you let it out. In fact, thanks to the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, finding out that closet even exists is a real chore. The Constitution guarantees that women and minorities can vote, and that the people they vote for can’t overstay their welcome.
People do still argue over some aspects of the document. Should common decency take precedence over freedom of speech, for instance? Or is the Second Amendment even necessary anymore, with citizen militias basically being a thing of the past? One amendment, the 18th, which prohibited the sale and consumption of alcohol, was negated by the 21st. The fact that this happened over 70 years ago and there haven’t been subsequent changes like it suggests that most of the Constitution is acceptable, but questions will probably linger for years about its fluidity, and how literally much of it can be interpreted.
Now that this rejected “School House Rock” sketch is coming to a close, let’s take another look at the question. What more convincing do people need to recognize a day dedicated to the thing that has shaped American society as it has developed over the last 219 years? Increased publicity? Getting the day off from work? Jerry Bruckheimer movies? Maybe tell kids that the Preamble will slide down their chimneys at night and put freedom in their stockings. Well, no matter. After all, there’s almost a year to figure something out.
Cohen is a Topeka junior in journalism and English.
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Hopefully we will get to wait until the next Constitution Day before this author blathers out another discourse of thoughtless meanderings.
I wonder if the author knows that this is only the third year the 'holiday' has been around.
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