Everyone knows the date that delegates of the Second Continental Congress signed their names to the Declaration of Independence. Americans commemorate its anniversary every July 4th with parades, barbeques, and fireworks. Why don’t Americans similarly celebrate the signing of the proposed document crafted at the 1787 Constitutional Convention? This talk will make the case that September 17 should be a day of celebration commensurate with, if not surpassing, July 4. The talk will review the history that led to the Constitutional Convention, the tension that animated its proceedings, the institutions that emerged from its debates, and some common misperceptions about the text that should be the focus of our civic celebrations: the U.S. Constitution.
Jerome C. Foss is Endowed Professor of Catholic Thought and Culture at Saint Vincent College. Foss teaches in the Political Science Department, directs the Center for Catholic Thought and Culture, edits the journal conversation, co-directs the SVC Summer Institute in Rome, is the current Director of the SVC Core Curriculum, and serves as the Executive Secretary for the Society of Catholic Social Scientists. Foss publishes and speaks in the areas of American political thought, Catholic thought, and literature and politics. His most recent book is Flannery O’Connor and the Perils of Governing by Tenderness. He resides in Latrobe, Pennsylvania with is his wife and eight children.
