Constitution Day -- September 17
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Day Action Ideas Working with Public Schools Media Resources |
Allies
& Resources Materials Letters to the Editor |
Community Resources and Allies
- Religious organizations may provide meeting space or a place to screen a film.
- Local colleges are a good resource for finding presenters to speak about the Constitution and related issues. They also may have funds available to pay a speaker.
- The local chapter of the National Lawyers Guild can often provide legal experts for a panel discussion. For a well-rounded discussion, also contact the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Bush Administration side of the issues.
- Local chapters of the ACLU and the League of Women Voters can help organize events and provide moderators for issues forums.
- Your local library may have someone who can speak about the John Doe/National Security Letters cases and other PATRIOT Act concerns.
- University law schools usually have Constitutional experts. History and political science professors will often provide perspective at community events.
Working with Allies in Targeted Communities
Listen to BORDC’s conference calls from August 22 and 24, 2006 for discussions involving the following panelists:
- Kayse Jama, director of the Center for Intercultural Organizing Aug 22 call
- Samina Faheem Sundas, director of American Muslim Voice Aug 22 call
- Pramila Jayapal, founder of Hate Free Zone, Washington Aug 24 call
- Rashida Tlaib, worked in 2006 with the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) in Dearborn, Michigan Aug 24 call
Bill of Rights History
The Bill of Rights by Howard Zinn (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/BillRights_ZR.html)
The Secret History of the Magna Carta by Peter Linebaugh (http://www.bostonreview.net/BR28.3/linebaugh.html)
"Notes for a Speech on Constitutional Amendments by James Madison (http://www.jmu.edu/madison/gpos225-madison2/madprobll.htm)
The Strange Battle for the U.S. Bill of Rights (http://www.libertystory.net/LSUNFORGETBATTLEFORBILLRIGHTS.htm)
Declaration Hits the Road, a feature about the Bill of Rights (http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/declaration_independence/bill.htm)
Origins of the Bill of Rights by Leonard Levy (book review) (http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/rhetoric_and_public_affairs/v003/3.4winkle.html)
Amendments Offered in Congress by James Madison, June 8, 1789 (http://www.constitution.org/bor/amd_jmad.htm)
Amendments Proposed by the Virginia Convention June 27, 1788 (http://www.constitution.org/bor/amdvacon.htm)
George Mason’s ‘Objections’ and the Bill of Rights (http://www.apsanet.org/imgtest/GeorgeMason.pdf)
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