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Neumann University

Constitution Day

September 17, 2020

Home > Constitution Day

Live Reading of the United States Constitution


The live reading will start at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 17th, 2020 and be streamed via the Microsoft Teams link below.

Live Reading of the U.S. Constitution

Join Dr. Larry DiPaolo on September 17, Constitution Day, as he reads the entire U.S. Constitution. The reading is only part of Constitution Day activities. Programs are being offered to generate awareness of the upcoming election, and political science/social work majors will be staffing tables promoting voter registration on campus. Watch the live read via this Microsoft Teams link on Thursday at 12:00 p.m.

Over the summer a group of faculty and staff who have an interest in civic engagement and the 2020 election met online. The group is called the Voter Registration and Education Steering Committee. Since its first meeting, the group has added students, including members of student government, along with Sr. Marguerite O'Beirne and Sr. Pat Hutchison from mission and ministry. 

According to Rob McMonagle, political science professor, the group aims to continue collaboration leading up to the November 3 presidential election. This collaboration will be consistent with Neumann's Catholic and Franciscan mission.

On Constitution Day, political science and social work students will staff voter registration tables on campus. Those efforts will continue on September 22.  The voter registration will take place from 11:20 am - 2:30 pm in the Abessinio lobby, Mirenda Center front lawn, Bachmann lobby and near the awning by the bookstore.

“We also aim to host a cyber event for the Neumann community during the vice-presidential debate (10/7) and the final presidential debate (10/22). Other events will include opportunities to engage with the Franciscan Action Network and related organizations,” McMonagle said. ​​​​​​​

The Franciscan Action Network is a collective Franciscan voice seeking to transform United States public policy related to peace making, care for creation, poverty, and human rights.

Fascinating Facts about the U.S. Constitution

  • The U.S. Constitution has 4,400 words. It is the oldest and shortest written Constitution of any major government in the world.
  • Of the spelling errors in the Constitution, "Pensylvania" above the signers' names is probably the most glaring.
  • Constitution Day is celebrated on September 17, the anniversary of the day the framers signed the document.
  • The oldest person to sign the Constitution was Benjamin Franklin (81). The youngest was Jonathan Dayton of New Jersey (26).
  • A proclamation by President George Washington and a congressional resolution established the first national Thanksgiving Day on November 26, 1789. The reason for the holiday was to give "thanks" for the new Constitution.
  • The first time the formal term "The United States of America" was used was in the Declaration of Independence.
  • The word "democracy" does not appear once in the Constitution.
  • As evidence of its continued flexibility, the Constitution has only been changed seventeen times since 1791!
  • The only other language used in various parts of the Constitution is Latin.
  • Four of the signers of the Constitution were born in Ireland.
  • Benjamin Franklin made a suggestion at the Constitutional Convention that the sessions be opened with a prayer. The delegates refused to accept the motion stating that there was not enough money to hire a chaplain.