Constitution Day

The American Constitution begins with an iconic preamble:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

In 2004, the federal government mandated that institutions of higher education who received government funding formally observe Constitution Day each year. At Furman University, the Riley Institute does so by offering a program focusing on a specific section of the Constitution or its amendments, often through the lens of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. These programs feature Furman professors and visiting experts who discuss interesting, relevant, and timely constitutional issues that highlight the current debates in American society.