By SAMANTHA MCGUIRE, Staff Reporter
On Tuesday, Northwestern Oklahoma State Universitys Social Sciences Department will be hosting this years Constitution Day event.
The event will be at 7 p.m. in the Educational Center Rm.109. The event is free and open to the public.
Constitution Day is actually on Sept. 16, but Northwestern is celebrating early. The day is celebrated to commemorate the formation and signing of the Constitution by 39 men in September of 1787.
Speaking at the event will be Scott Stroh III, executive director of George Masons mansion, also known as Gunston Hall. He took the job at Gunston Hall in 2013. Ive always had a strong interest in George Mason and what he wrote, he said. As an organization, being able to focus on those ideas is a pretty powerful opportunity.
Stroh will be speaking about George Masons contributions to the founding of America. Although, George Mason did not actually sign the Constitution, Stroh said he contributed to it in many ways.
One of those ways would be the writing of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, Stroh said, which articulated many of the freedoms that are represented in the Bill of Rights.
According to Biography.com, George Mason was an American patriot who participated in the American Revolution, the Constitutional Convention and who was influential in penning the Bill of Rights.
For the last ten years Aaron Mason, professor of political science, has been in charge of Constitution Day on Northwesterns campus.
George Mason was an anti-federalist, and this year Aaron Mason said that he wanted an anti-federalist point of view illustrated. Stroh was chosen as the speaker for exactly those reasons. Aaron Mason said, Stroh is a speaker who is knowledgeable regarding one of the leading anti-federalist of the early constitutional era.
Constitution Day events at Northwestern have been well received by the students whove attended. Mason said, Most [students] have told me they learn something from each of our unique speakers.
Mason said he thinks that students should attend the event to learn more about the U.S. government. [Constitution Day] is the ultimate definition of government in America, he said. As such it has no other equal, so citizens should be informed regarding its contents.
Rachel Carter, a junior biology major, said she thinks Constitution Day is important because it is about knowing where we came from. Knowing the principles this country was built on is so important, she said, and it is our duty to make sure they remain standing.
Stroh said, Constitution Day is a great opportunity for students to engage in civil discourse about these ideas, and to expand their awareness and understanding.
The Leviathan Club is a club on campus that is dedicated to events such as this. Mason said, The Leviathan Society is a history and politics club for students at Northwestern. Our primary goal is to take informative field trips and make educational visits to various historical and political sites.
Students interested in the club can contact Aaron Mason. His office is located in Jesse Dunn, Rm. 302B. Students can also email him at mason@nwosu.edu or call his office at (580) 327-8522. Students can also contact Eric Schmaltz. His office is located in Jesse Dunn, 321. Students can email him at ejschmaltz@nwosu.edu. z. His office is located in Jesse Dunn, 321. Students can email him at ejschmaltz@nwosu.edu.