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Constitution Day

Constitution Day is a celebration of the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine of the 55 Delegates to the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787.  The date is also designated Citizenship Day to focus on the rights and responsibilities of citizens under the Constitution. 

Constitution Day at Tennessee Tech is named in honor of Nolan Fowler and strives to educate the campus community about the Constitution and citizenship both historically and as they apply to today’s challenges.

Nolan Fowler, a retired history professor at Tennessee Tech, taught constitutional development at the university from 1962 to 1979.  This annual event is made possible by his $150,000 commitment to establish the Constitution Day Celebration at Tennessee Tech University.

“I was very happy to provide this money because the Constitution is so important — it’s the foundation for our entire system of government — yet so many people know so little about it,” Fowler said.

 

Constitution Day 
Nolan Fowler & Elaine Fowler Palencia Annual Constitution Day

2023:  "Free Speech and the College Campus". Dr. Sigal Ben-Porath, MRMJJ Presidential Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. For more information, contact Dr. Kent Dollar, Chair of the Fowler Constitution Day Committee.

2022:  "The Constitutional Integrity of Title IX".  Dr. Elizabeth Kauger Busch, Co-Director of the Center for American Studies and the Director of American Studies at Christopher Newport University. 

2021:  "Epidemics and the Constitution:  A Contested History".  John Fabian Witt, Ph.D., Professor of law at Yale University Law School.

2020: "How American Women Won the Vote".  The 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment's ratification.  Ms. Paula F. Casey of Memphis, TN - this is a virtual event held on September 17, 2020.  For more information, contact Dr. Kent Dollar, Chair of the Fowler Constitution Day Committee.

2019:  "Public Sentiment is Everything: Three Principles of Effective Political Messaging." Drew Westen, Ph.D., Emory University

2018: Constitution Day was held on September 18th, 2018. If you have any more questions on the event or other History dept. events - please contact the History Department at Tennessee Tech: https://www.tntech.edu/cas/history/contact.php

2017: "After Philadelphia: 'The Voice of the People' and the Rowdy Origins of the Constitution."  Dr. Lorri Glover, St. Louis University

2016: "Advocating for Same Sex Marriage in Obergefell: Thoughts on How Equality in Marriage Led to Marriage Equality." Scott Hickman of Sherrard, Roe, Voight & Harbison Law Firm

2015: "Free Speech in the 21st Century." Dr. Leslie Kendrick, University of Virginia School of Law

2014: "Civil Rights and the Constitution." The Honorable Alberto Gonzales, former Attorney General of the United States

2013: "The Second Amendment in the 21st Century." David Kopel, Denver University Sturm College of Law

2012: "Constitutional Change on the Ground: Selecting the President." Robert Bennett, Northwestern University School of Law

2011: "The Post-911 Decade: In Which the United States if Forced to Re-evaluate the Tension Between Liberty and Security." Dr. Richard A. Glenn, Millersville University

2010: "Laughing at our Leaders: The impact and importance of political humor in democratic life." Dr. Danna Young, University of Delaware

2009: Freedom Sings, a Musical Program of the First Amendment Center. Nashville, Tennessee

2008: "Patriotism: Salute the Flag or Burn It?" John Seigenthaler, First Amendment Center, Nashville, Tennessee

2007: "The 2nd Amendment: Inalienable or Obsolete?" Dr. Joyce Malcolm, George Mason University

2006: "Now More than Ever': Expanding, Protecting and Contracting Civil Liberties in Wartime." Dr. Mark Graber, University of Maryland

2005: "How Thomas Jefferson's Wall of Separation' Redefined the Constitutional Relationship Between Church & State." Dr. Daniel Dreisbach, American University

 

 

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