As the presidential campaign heats up, the cutting remarks and political loyalties continue to divide Americans. Though many will remain on opposing sides, there is one thing that holds all United States citizens together – the Constitution.
The SunTrust Bank Chair of Excellence in Humanities will sponsor UTC’s Constitution Day event with a lecture by Dr. James W. Ceaser, Harry F. Byrd professor of Politics at the University of Virginia and director of the Program for Constitutionalism and Democracy.
Dr. Ceaser will present “The Ties That Bind: What We Feel For Our Constitution” on Monday, September 17, in the Benwood Auditorium located in the UTC Math, Engineering and Computer Science Building at the corner of Vine and Palmetto Streets. The lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free and refreshments will be provided.
In his lecture, Dr. Ceaser will talk about the Constitution not only as America’s most important document, but also how it is essential to our national cohesion.
Dr. Ceaser’s lecture will be held on Constitution Day, which marks the anniversary of the day the Constitution was signed. The anniversary has been noted for more than 200 years, but the observation was not officially established until 2004 when the late Senator Robert Byrd introduced it into legislation.
Dr. Wilfred M. McClay, who holds the SunTrust Bank Chair of Excellence in Humanities, shares Mr. Byrd’s feelings on the matter.
“Professor Ceaser is one of the nation’s truly outstanding political scientists, and we’re very fortunate to have him here at UTC,” Dr. McClay said. “Constitution Day attracts a very diverse audience of people from all sectors of the Chattanooga community, and Ceaser has the ability to speak to all of them.”