Valdosta State University will observe Constitution Week with a special presentation, read aloud, and student panel.

All events are free of charge and open to the public. 

The Keynote Address, Featuring Former Senator Tim Golden

Tim Golden will deliver the Constitution Week keynote address at 4 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16, in Odum Library Auditorium. This event is presented by VSU Archives and Special Collections.

Golden served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1990 to 1998 and represented the 8th District in the Georgia Senate from 1998 to 2014. He was elected to Georgia’s State Transportation Board in 2015; his current term expires in April 2025.

A 1977 Blazer alumnus, Golden recently donated papers and mementos documenting his career to the university. His collection primarily contains materials from his time as Senator, especially from the years 2000 to 2015. These papers are valuable sources of information on the legislative process and Georgia politics. He is most proud of his work with former Gov. Zell Miller and former VSU President Hugh C. Bailey in promoting education, including the creation of the Georgia HOPE Scholarship and the awarding of university status to the former Valdosta State College.

Golden resides in Valdosta and shares his knowledge with students as a member of VSU’s Political Science faculty. His daughter, Ellen, also a VSU graduate, serves as judge of the State Court of Lowndes County. His son, Seth, is a lawyer residing in Atlanta. 

Constitution Read Aloud

Campus and community volunteers will read the Constitution from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17 — Constitution Day — in Odum Library Auditorium. Dr. Richard A. Carvajal, president of VSU, will kick off the event.

The Constitution Read Aloud is presented by Odum Library.  

Student Panel: “Decisional Trends in the Roberts Court 2006-2024: Standing With or Departure From Precedent”

The Department of Political Science will present a student panel conversation — “Decisional Trends in the Roberts Court 2006-2024: Standing With or Departure From Precedent” — from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, in Odum Library Auditorium. 

The Constitution of the United States established America's national government and fundamental laws and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. It was signed on Sept. 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. It was ratified by the necessary nine states the following year.

The U.S. Constitution may be read online at the National Archives website at https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript. An interactive Constitution is available at https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitutioncourtesy of the National Constitution Center.

On the Web:

https://www.valdosta.edu/polsci/

https://www.valdosta.edu/academics/library/

Constitution Fast Facts

• The U.S. Constitution was written in the same Pennsylvania State House where the Declaration of Independence was signed and where George Washington received his commission as commander of the Continental Army. Now called Independent Hall, the building still stands today on Independent Mall in Philadelphia, directly across from the National Constitution Center. 


• Written in 1787, the Constitution was signed on Sept. 17. But it wasn’t until 1788 that it was ratified by the necessary nine states. 


• The U.S. Constitution was prepared in secret, behind locked doors that were guarded by sentries. 


• Some of the original framers and many delegates in the state ratifying conventions were very troubled that the original Constitution lacked a description of individual rights. In 1791, Americans added a list of rights to the Constitution. The first 10 amendments became known as the Bill of Rights. 

• Of the 55 delegates attending the Constitutional Convention, 39 signed and three dissented. Two of America’s “founding fathers” didn’t sign the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson was representing his country in France, and John Adams was doing the same in Great Britain. 


• Established on Nov. 26, 1789, the first national “Thanksgiving Day” was originally created by George Washington as a way of “giving thanks” for the Constitution. 


• Of the written national constitutions, the U.S. Constitution is the oldest and shortest. 


• At 81, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania was the oldest delegate at the Constitutional Convention, and at 26, Jonathon Dayton of New Jersey was the youngest. 


• The original Constitution is on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, it was moved to Fort Knox for safekeeping. 


Source: National Constitution Center