VITAL POLICY – Your Civic Duty and Sacred Right to Participate in Government, A Forerunner to Constitution Day

Thomas Jefferson held the Tennessee Constitution in extremely high esteem, calling it the “least imperfect and most republican” among other state constitutions, a high complement from the man who authored the Declaration of Independence and drafted the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom. The framers of the Tennessee Constitution expressed the importance of civic participation in Article I, Section 23. Clearly, their intention was to solidify citizens right of remonstrance, as well as their right to address and instruct their representatives.

Article I, Section 1 is even more forceful. “That all power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety, and happiness; for the advancement of those ends they have at all times, an unalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform, or abolish the government in such manner as they may think proper.”

How many people take the opportunity to participate in public policy making; and how many citizens even know about their right to instruct government? Without proper education on constitutional rights, many people limit their participation to the act of voting, missing their opportunity to respectfully speak out at public meetings and to explore solutions to problems faced by government. Courts, through their decisions, have protected these rights and encouraged citizens to be engaged with government at all levels, at times describing such participation as a duty.

Justice Louis D. Brandeis, concurring opinion (in part) in Whitney v. California, U.S. Supreme Court (1927), “Those who won our independence believed…that public discussion is a political duty; and that this should be a fundamental principle of the American government.”

Justice William Brennan, writing for the majority (in part) in New York Times v. Sullivan, U.S. Supreme Court (1964), “Thus we consider this case against the backdrop of a profound national commitment to use the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.”

One Tennessee organization works tirelessly to encourage young people to be civic minded and understand the importance of the U.S. Constitution, providing copies to students across the region. The following statement was provided for this article.

“The 917 Society is a nonpartisan educational organization that welcomes all who love

our country and our Constitution to help us reach the next generation. This coming 

September 17th, we celebrate the 234th Anniversary of our Constitution. While we 

celebrate the 4th of July as Independence Day, when our Declaration of Independence 

was signed, very few people realize the significance of September 17th. The Declaration

announced our desire for freedom, but our Constitution is the guarantor of that freedom.

Without it, we will lose the very essence of what it means to be an ‘American.” In order for our Constitution to protect our rights and liberties, we must protect and preserve it and pass it on to the next generation. When Benjamin Franklin was asked upon leaving the Continental Congress after signing the Constitution if we had a Monarchy or a Republic, he replied, “A Republic…if you can keep it.”  This year we are working to reach over 1 million students across 14 states and expand in to all 50 states next year with free pocket Constitutions and free educational resources to honor and celebrate Constitution Day, September 17th. Join us and be a ‘Keeper of our Republic” by visiting our website and donating or volunteering today.”  Joni Bryan, Executive Director 917 Society