Constitution Day Public Service Announcements
This page contains scripts for Constitution Day PSAs that can be read on the radio or on public access cable TV to make people aware of Constitution Day (September 17), to remind them of the freedoms we have lost since September 11, 2001, and to encourage them to read the Bill of Rights. We hope you will use them. Choose your favorites or more than one, or focus on a different amendment each week leading up to Constitution Day. Each is approximately 30 seconds long. Feel free to adapt them.
- The Bill of Rights (one PSA)
- The 1st Amendment (four PSAs)
- The 5th Amendment (one PSA)
- The 6th Amendment (two PSAs)
- The 8th Amendment (one PSA)
September 17 is Constitution Day. For 220 years, the Bill of Rights protected us from government intrusion into our private lives and guaranteed us free speech and due process of law. Since September 11, 2001, our government has diminished those freedoms in exchange for what it tells us is more security. On September 17, the 230th anniversary of our U.S. Constitution, read the Bill of Rights at bordc.org and remember the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
September 17 is Constitution Day. The First Amendment guarantees free speech, freedom of religion and the right to assemble peaceably for the redress of grievances. Looking back over the 220 years of the U.S. Constitution, there have been many times the government has eroded our essential liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. This is one of those times. With laws like the PATRIOT Act on the books, and more in store, this September 17 is a good time to read the Bill of Rights and remember how precious freedom is.
September 17 is Constitution Day. The First Amendment guarantees free speech and freedom of association. In 2002, the U.S. Attorney General gave permission to law enforcement to attend religious meetings and political gatherings, without any suspicion of crime or terrorist activity. He authorized fishing expeditions at the expense of the First Amendment. On September 17, the 221st anniversary of our U.S. Constitution, read the Bill of Rights at bordc.org and remember the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
September 17 is Constitution Day. The First Amendment guarantees us the right to peaceably assemble for the redress of grievances. In 2006, the PATRIOT Act was reauthorized, giving the Secret Service broad powers to set up restricted areas at presidential speaking events. Heavy fines and jail time are the penalties for assembling under these new terms. On September 17, the 221st anniversary of our U.S. Constitution, read the Bill of Rights at bordc.org and remember the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
September 17 is Constitution Day. The First Amendment guarantees us the right to free speech. But the PATRIOT Act prohibits free speech in the case of librarians or bookstore clerks who receive a secret court order to produce library and bookstore records. Librarians and clerks can go to jail if they reveal an FBI search. On September 17, the 221st anniversary of our U.S. Constitution, read the Bill of Rights at bordc.org and remember the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
September 17 is Constitution Day. The Fourth Amendment guarantees us protection from unreasonable searches by requiring that the government obtain court warrants to search our homes. On December 16, 2005, the President admitted he authorized searches of our phone calls and emails for four years without warrants. On September 17, the 221st anniversary of our U.S. Constitution, read the Bill of Rights at bordc.org and remember the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
September 17 is Constitution Day. The Fourth Amendment guarantees the right to be secure in our homes against unreasonable searches, and provides for a process of court warrants when the government must search. The PATRIOT Act allows FBI agents to issue National Security Letters to obtain hotel, airline, and other business records without a warrant from a judge. On September 17, the 221st anniversary of our U.S. Constitution, read the Bill of Rights at bordc.org and remember the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
September 17 is Constitution Day. The Fourth Amendment guarantees the right to be secure in our homes against unreasonable searches, and provides for a process of court warrants when the government must search. Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act allows searches of our library records and bookstore purchases without reasonable suspicion of involvement in crime or terrorism. It allows fishing expeditions on our reading habits. On September 17, the 221st anniversary of our U.S. Constitution, read the Bill of Rights at bordc.org and remember the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
September 17 is Constitution Day. The Fourth Amendment guarantees the right to be secure in our homes against unreasonable searches, and provides for a process of court warrants when the government must search. The PATRIOT Act allows law enforcement to get secret court orders to search our homes without revealing the search. An authority that used to be reserved for searches of foreign spies may now be used in your neighborhood. On September 17, the 221st anniversary of our U.S. Constitution, read the Bill of Rights at bordc.org and remember the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
September 17 is Constitution Day. The Fifth Amendment guarantees no one will be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. For more than three years, the U.S. government imprisoned a U.S. citizen, Jose Padilla, as an enemy combatant and denied him due process. The Bush Administration prevented the Supreme Court from ruling on the case by transferring it to a criminal court, where a federal judge now says there is a lack of evidence against Padilla. Don’t wait until that happens to you! On September 17, the 221st anniversary of our U.S. Constitution, read the Bill of Rights at bordc.org and remember the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
September 17 is Constitution Day. If you’re accused of a crime, the Sixth Amendment guarantees you a speedy trial by jury and the right to be told the charges against you, to hear the witnesses for and against you, and to have a defense attorney. Since 9/11, the U.S. government has imprisoned three menin the U.S. as “enemy combatants” and denied them some or all those rights. One of those men, Jose Padilla, remains in custody. On September 17, the 221st anniversary of our U.S. Constitution, read the Bill of Rights at bordc.org and remember the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
September 17 is Constitution Day. The Sixth Amendment guarantees if you’re accused of a crime, you may have a defense attorney as your advocate. In 2001, the U.S. Attorney General short-changed defendants of that right by abolishing the requirement for the Bureau of Prisons to go to a judge for permission to wiretap conversations between prisoners in federal prison and their attorneys. On September 17, the 221st anniversary of our U.S. Constitution, read the Bill of Rights at bordc.org and remember the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
September 17 is Constitution Day. The Eighth Amendment guarantees
no cruel and unusual punishments will be inflicted. In 2005, Congress
passed a law prohibiting cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of
any person in U.S. custody. But in a signing statement President Bush
declared he may take exception to that law. But can the President
sign a statement to make himself exempt from the Eighth Amendment
or any other part of the Constitution? On September 17, the 221st
anniversary of our U.S. Constitution, read the Bill of Rights at bordc.org
and remember the liberties we the people are guaranteed.
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