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A Look at the United States Constitution
Phil Gianos
Phil Gianos, professor of political science and chair of the Division of Politics, Administration and Justice discusses the various activities scheduled in conjunction with Constitution Day this month.

September 15, 2005
By Valerie Orleans

“We the People….”

There are probably few words that better represent what American government stands for.

Saturday, Sept. 17, has been designated as “Constitution Day” by the federal government. At Cal State Fullerton, activities are planned to remind those on our campus of the importance of this document and its ideals.

Philip Gianos, professor of political science and chair of the Division of Politics, Administrtion and Justice, is one of the faculty members involved in planning for this event. Here he discusses the role of Constitution Day and some of its goals. Activities for Constitution Day are being developed as part of the university’s American Democracy Project Program and in conjunction with the Office of Public Affairs and Government Relations.

Q: How did Constitution Day come about? Is this the first year we’ve done anything highlighting the Constitution?
   
A: Actually, there is a 91-year-old Republican activist who provides tours at Independence Hall at Knott’s Berry Farm who has been pushing this for years. She got the attention of U.S. Senator Robert Byrd, who is well known for carrying a pocket-sized copy of the Constitution with him. Senator Byrd pushed for a national day to recognize the Constitution and once he started pushing, it got on everybody’s radar.

Q: So what’s going to happen at Cal State Fullerton?
   
A: One of the activities we’ll be sponsoring will take place on Monday, Sept. 19, beginning at noon. We’re having faculty members and students speak for about an hour in the Quad. They’ll focus on different aspects of the Constitution, why it’s important...and why it’s often misunderstood. We hope to create a dialogue with those in attendance. Rather than just standing around and saying “Three cheers for the Constitution,” we wanted to create something more meaningful.

Q: Do you find that many of your students aren’t aware of what the Constitution means?
   
A: No, not really. By the time someone arrives at a university, they’re received several years of education — much of their history and political science curriculum is focused on the Constitution. I mean it’s the big enchilada of U.S. politics. However, because people have been exposed to the Constitution doesn’t mean they necessarily agree with everything it says.

Q: What are some of the common misconceptions people have?
   
A: Well, here’s an example. I used to ask my students if they believed the Constitution provided them with the right as individuals to own guns. Many believed it did. But if you read the second amendment, it says, “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” In other words, you have a right as part of a militia in order to secure the State to bear arms…not simply because you want to. You can’t take sections out of context. It isn’t always as cut and dried as people think.

Q: What about the first amendment? Are people familiar with that?
   
A: As a rule, yes. And in theory, most people claim to support the First Amendment. After all, we’re all in favor of free speech, freedom of religion and freedom of assembly. However, when people are asked about specific instances such as, “Should a communist have a right to make a speech?” people will start saying, “No, no, no — we don’t want that.” Well, the Constitution protects those rights. People tend to look upon the Constitution as a symbol, not a document.

Q: What does this document say about us?
   
A: Well, it has some very important principles, but it also has some things that are quite disturbing. When it was originally drafted, slavery was in effect and women didn’t have any rights to speak of — so if you belonged to one of those two groups, you weren’t represented. In many instances, it was a racist, sexist document. However, it has evolved over the years. We can trace the evolution of our country by the changes that have occurred.

Q: So it’s important to try to figure out what the intent of the framers was as opposed to what may actually have been written, which reflected the customs and beliefs of that time?
   
A: Some believe you have to look at the intent of the framers. It certainly reflected the customs and beliefs of the time. Yet some believe otherwise. You have to apply a certain amount of literary analysis when dealing with a document as important as the Constitution. You also have to look at the meaning of the words. I think you’ll be hearing much more about the language of the Constitution during the upcoming weeks as the selection of two Supreme Court justices is being carried out. These are the individuals who are chosen to interpret the intent of the Constitution and they will be dealing with what certain language means or does not mean.


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Constitution Day: Events and Activities at Cal State Fullerton
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