Entries by Cathy Gillespie

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Happy Bill of Rights Day! James Madison, the Bill of Rights & Political Compromise

As we celebrate the 227th anniversary of the adoption of the Bill of Rights (December 15, 2018), American politics and civic life seems more and more divided. The founding generation often saw a political environment that was just as divided as ours, if not even more so. Virginia statesman James Madison gives us an example of principled compromise to achieve the principles of limited government and inalienable rights as he became the “father of the Bill of Rights.”

December 14, 2018 by
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President George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee78 requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanks-giving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

November 21, 2018 /1 Comment/by

Miranda Chastain

Winner, Turner Maurice Gauntt, Jr. Exemplary Citizen Award Miranda Chastain is currently in her first year attending Texas A&M University but is already an academic sophomore due to earning over 30 hours of college credit while in high school. She is pursuing a degree in International Studies – Politics and Diplomacy Track, and will be […]

May 6, 2018 /0 Comments/by

Michelle Neyrey

Winner, Best Constitution Lesson Plan  Michelle Neyrey, 50, Best Teacher Lesson Plan winner, was born in Louisiana now living in Kingwood, Texas with her husband Keith.  Michelle is a mother of twin boys. She has taught middle school for over 17 years in both private and public school.   She feels if students experience history through […]

May 6, 2018 /0 Comments/by

Jorne Gilbert

Best College PSA By Jorne Gilbert Jorne Gilbert, 21, has spent the last two years of education at Muhlenberg College where he studied Music and was able make 30 tackles last year as a DE on the Mules Football Team. Jorne is proud to have participated in Constituting America and would like to thank those […]

April 24, 2018 /0 Comments/by
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Freedom Of Speech Within Congressional Debates: John Quincy Adams & The Gag Rule, 1840s – Guest Essayist: Tony Williams

Adams was exasperated and yelled, “Am I gagged?” He argued that the gag rule was a “direct violation of the Constitution of the United States, the rules of this House, and the rights of my constituents.” He declared the gag rule a threat to free, deliberative government: “The freedom of debate has been stifled in this House to a degree far beyond anything that ever has happened since the existence of the Constitution.”

April 2, 2018 /0 Comments/by
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The Articles Of Confederation: The First Written Constitution Of The United States – Guest Essayist: George Landrith

After the decisive Battle of Yorktown in October of 1781 where General George Washington’s army defeated and captured the British army commanded by General Charles Cornwallis, the British sued for peace. America had finally won the independence that Jefferson had written about in his famous Declaration formalized by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. It took more than five years of war to win that freedom. Now came the difficult task of establishing a nation dedicated to the principles of freedom and self-government. 

March 5, 2018 /1 Comment/by

Essay Schedule – Fire on the Floor: The Rules, Conflict, and Debate that Fuel the United States Congress

INTRODUCTION Day 1 – Introduction: The United States Congress And Its Place In Constitutional Government – Guest Essayist: Professor William Morrisey Day 2 – Introduction Part 2: The United States Congress Today – Guest Essayist: Professor William Morrisey CONGRESS: THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH Day 3 – Beginnings of The United States Congress as the Legislative Branch […]

February 18, 2018 /0 Comments/by
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INTRODUCTION: The United States Congress And Its Place In Constitutional Government – Guest Essayist: William Morrisey

Against the arbitrary rule of George III, the American Founders opposed the rule of law. On the most fundamental level, in their Declaration of Independence, they appealed to the laws of Nature and of Nature’s God against tyrannical violations of the unalienable rights established by those laws. Eleven years later, in designing the human, conventional, constitutional law that reframed the federal government, the Founders established a republican regime intended to prevent the return of arbitrary rule to their country.

February 17, 2018 /11 Comments/by

Why is Actress Janine Turner Speaking at the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy?

As an educator at The Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy in Dallas, I have the unique opportunity to touch the lives of over 160 young men in my 7th grade Texas History and 8th grade US History classes. Not long ago, we had actress Janine Turner founder and co-chair of of Constituting America come to my class to speak to our young men about the relevancy of the US Constitution today.

November 2, 2017 by