If you haven’t heard from us in a while, there’s a good reason for that: we’ve been preparing for the most celebrated week of the year.
That’s right, it’s Congress Week! Congress Week takes place during the first week of April and commemorates the 1789 month in which Congress achieved its first quorums. This year, the Association of Centers for the Study of Congress (ACSC) celebrates the 225th Anniversary of the Bill of Rights. As a founding member of the ACSC, the Baylor Collections of Political Materials is bringing you special posts on our materials related to the first ten Constitutional Amendments. What’s more, we’ll be doing it every day this week. Check back tomorrow for our post on Marvin Leath and the First Amendment.
The Bill of Rights remains as relevant today as it did 225 years ago. Interpretations of these amendments affect modern issues like campaign finance, background checks, search warrants, eminent domain, prison reform, the right to privacy, and many more. The Constitution continues to act as the foundational document for American government, dictating the lives of over 300 million citizens; its importance, and by extension the importance of Congress, cannot be overstated. As David McCullough said: “We need to know more about Congress because we need to know more about leadership. We need to know more about Congress because we can never know enough about human nature. Above all, we need to know more about Congress because we are Americans. We believe in governing ourselves.” As the basis of this self-governance, the Constitution and Bill of Rights have generated countless views and controversies over the course of American history. Join us all week as we examine our collections for Congressional perspectives on these important documents.