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Commentary: Gordon preaches Constitution
This month marks the 222nd anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution. On Sept. 17, 1787, 39 men from 12 states signed one of the most important documents in our nation's history, creating the basis for our freedoms and self-government.
However, a recent survey revealed that fewer than half of all Americans can name the three branches of government, and 46 percent of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 fail basic civic literacy tests.
More students know that the city matching the zip code ‘90210’ is Beverly Hills than where the Constitution was signed — in Philadelphia.
These statistics are alarming. With so many important issues facing our country, we must do more to encourage our children to learn about the importance of the Constitution and how our government works.
Recently, school children from across the country came to the nation’s Capitol to see government in action. Sixth graders from a local elementary school visited my office and asked questions about the Constitution. With the encouragement of their teachers, these children were learning about this important document and our government, and how both affect them.
One student stood out in particular. She asked me what rights are protected by the First Amendment. I explained the five protected rights to her — freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petitioning the government.
As she continued to quiz my staff and me further, her excitement noticeably grew.
Many Americans take the rights established by the Constitution for granted, but we must remember they were hard-earned. The men who signed the Constitution did so only after risking their lives and winning the Revolutionary War.
Today, thousands of Tennessee's National Guardsmen are fighting alongside other members of our armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan to defend the same freedoms and rights established in our Constitution 222 years ago.
This month, we should focus on passing this lesson to our children by encouraging them to learn about the importance of the Constitution. Knowledge of this document is essential to understanding the foundation and history of our country.
Gordon represents Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District.
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Mr. Gordon, your article is well written and well taken. But you have to wonder why with so many children deficite in such knowledge, why on earth would the President of the U.S. give a speech telling our school children that we have the best schools in the world? He said that. So my question is this: If he is correct, then why is there so much discontent in our system regarding schools and why are our children so deficite? We used to strive for excellence. Now we settle for middle of the road as long as no one's feelings are hurt. Thank you for your work and your article.
Congressman Gordon is right. I would like to add that we should encourage educators to teach their students about the importance and significance of the Confederate Constitution.
Knowledge of this rather obscure document is essential to understanding the foundation and history of the Confederacy. The repeated references to black African slaves and the institution of black African slavery in the Confederate Constitution offer indsputable evdence of the racist nature of the Confederacy and should dispel any notions that the conflict was not about maintaining white supremacy in the Old South.
We do have great schools and teachers, but the behavior of some students and the lack of interest of some parents make teaching and learning a real problem.