Constitution Day - September 17th

The U.S. Constitution was written in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787, at a convention known for both conflict and compromise. Signed by the delegates on September 17th, it went to the thirteen states for ratification, which was achieved in 1788, when the last of the required nine states voted to approve the document that outlined the new system of government for the nation. The key principles of the new government include a federal system, popular sovereignty, the separation of powers among three branches of government, a system of checks and balances to keep any one branch from becoming too strong, and a series of compromises among the interests of the states.

Many citizens called for the addition of a list of individual rights. These were added in the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which are now known as the Bill of Rights.

The Constitution remains a living document. To learn more about the continuing role of the Constitution, visit the online exhibit Centuries of Citizenship: A Constitutional Timeline, created by the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

An original copy of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is on display at the National Archives in Washington, DC.

Studying the Constitution at Rutgers-Camden

The Political Science Department teaches many courses each semester which touch on different aspects of the role that the Constitution plays in American politics and American life. In addition, it offers a number of courses which are devoted exclusively to the constitution and its interpretation, including:

  • Judicial Process
  • American Constitutional Development
  • The supreme court as a Political Institution
  • Human Freedoms and the Constitution

In addition to teaching undergraduate classes, several faculty actively pursue research in the constitutional arena. For example, the Center for State Constitutional Studies is directed by Alan Tarr, a member of the Political Science Department at Rutgers University in Camden. The Center is an interdisciplinary institute dedicated to promoting public understanding of American state constitutions and of federalism. The Center maintains an extensive publications program, including the Annual Issue on State Constitutional Law of the Rutgers Law Journal and “Reference Guides to the State Constitutions of the United States,” a book series published by Greenwood Press. In 2005-2006, the Center will publish the three-volume “State Constitutions for the Twenty-first Century” with SUNY Press. The Center also sponsors lectures and conferences to stimulate knowledgeable discussion of state constitutions and of constitutional federalism. Finally, the Center provides consultation services to state governments--most recently working with the New Jersey Property Tax Commission Tax Force.

The law school is sponsoring a panel discussion on "The Constitution, Courts-Martial, and Military Commission," which will be held on Wednesday, September 14th, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

At the Rutgers School of Law - Camden, students have the opportunity to study the Constitution from introductory to advanced levels. All first year students take a Constitutional Law course. Other available courses include:

  • Constitutional Law: War, Terrorism, and Civil Liberties
  • Civil Liberties and the Constitution
  • Current issues in Civil Liberties Law
  • Freedom of Expression in the 21st Century
  • Judicial Politics
  • New Jersey State Constitutional Law
  • State Constitutional Law
  • Seminar: Advanced Constitutional Law
  • Seminar: Contemporary Constitutional Theory

Robert F. Williams co-directs the Center for State Constitutional Studies.