Note: In honor of Constitution Day, September 17, I am re-sharing this earlier post from February 4, 2013.
Also: Observe Constitution Day with the San Antonio Public Library Foundation‘s Great Books seminar, “A Conversation with the Constitution,” at 6 p.m. tonight at the Central Library, featuring Mayor Julián Castro, City Council Member (District 8) Ron Nirenberg, and Dr. Christopher Phillips, author of Constitution Café. Call 210-225-4728, ext. 10 for tickets. See also “A place to reflect on the Constitution”, Brian Chasnoff, San Antonio Express-News, September 15, 2013.
It was an honor to present at BlogItSA! at Geekdom on Saturday. My topic was “Legal Issues for Bloggers” and I brought props to liven things up. The surprise hit was my pocket Constitution—surprising to me, because it seems normal to have a pocket Constitution lying around. My copy was produced by the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution in 1986; I got it for free when I was in law school.
Do you want your very own pocket Constitution? I found several low-cost sources online:
From the National Center for Constitutional Studies, send a self addressed envelope with $0.65 postage to
NCCS
37777 W. Juniper Rd.
Malta, ID 83342
From ConstitutionFacts.com, send your request and a check for $3.00 made out to Oak Hill Publishing Company to
Oak Hill Publishing Company
Free Book Offer
Box 6473
Naperville, IL 60567
Of course there’s Amazon.com.
I get misty-eyed thinking about the United States Constitution; throughout American history, its principles have guided our (bumpy) progress towards greater justice and freedom. The pocket Constitution is a handy reference for lawyers, but it’s also an essential teaching tool for sharing these values with our kids.
There are more teaching tools online: for examples, from the National Archives, images of the original Constitution and a transcript. And don’t forget that September 17 is Constitution Day.
Do you have tips for teaching history and civics to your kids? Please share in the comments.
