Same-Sex Marriage deliberation

“Marriage is one of our community’s most rewarding and cherished institutions.”
- Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health (2003)

Students from California, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia came together for a video conference to deliberate the question, “Should same-sex couples have the right to marry?” during The Exchange, which is the National Constitution Center’s national student program that enables young people discuss current constitutional and political issues with their peers.

The students looked at the controversies over judicial or legislative remedies to the question of same-sex marriage, the possibility that same-sex marriage could harm American society as well as the possible effects of legalized same-sex marriage on private institutions, like the Boy Scouts and the Catholic Church.

Students on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate were exposed to differing points of view in a respectful and thoughtful way that allowed them to understand the perspectives of others even if they did not agree on whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.

Constitutional Connections
The Full Faith and Credit Clause in Article IV, Section 1 of the Constitution has been cited by some advocates of same-sex marriage as proof that the Defense of Marriage act of 1996 (DOMA) is unconstitutional. Critics of this argument say the Full Faith and Credit Clause gives Congress the right to control the "effect" of the agreements that fall under it, thus Congress can define the manner and effect of the judgments.

The Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment have also been cited by supporters of same-sex marriage as guaranteeing Americans a fundamental right to marry. Some opponents of same-sex marriage counter that the 14th Amendment does not grant homosexuals the right to marry because it only protects those belonging to a “suspect class,” which is a status that has not been granted to homosexuals by the courts.

In Your Classroom
In addition to a live nationwide webcast with high school students from around the country, The Exchange includes a free classroom poster, which contains a lesson designed to promote classroom deliberation. If you would like a classroom sized poster from this or a past Exchange, send an email to TheExchange@constitutioncenter.org or go to The Exchange web site. You can also go to The Exchange web site and take our nationwide Web Poll .

On Thursday, March 18, The Exchange will focus on the issue of national service as students deliberate the question, “Should a year of national service be required for all Americans?” Teachers who would like their students to participate in The Exchange video conference or learn more about the program should contact Jason Allen at jallen@constitutioncenter.org .

A brief history of the State of the Union Address

Tonight, President Obama will give his first State of the Union Address. As mandated by the Constitution, in Article II, Section 3, the President “shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the State of the Union.” The Constitution does not, however, say how such an address should be given, and it has changed over time. George Washington gave the first State of the Union address on January 8, 1790. However, when Thomas Jefferson became President, he chose an alternative form, choosing to write a letter to Congress, which was read by a clerk. This practice continued until 1913, when Woodrow Wilson re-adopted the speech style presentation. Some presidents chose to send a written State of the Union to Congress, the last one being Jimmy Carter.

When the address was given has also changed over time. Before 1934, the address was delivered at the end of the calendar year; however things changed after the ratification of the 20th Amendment, which changed when Congress opened from early March to early January. Since then, the speech (or letter) has been delivered in January or February, and today it is typically given on the last Wednesday in January.

State of the Union Fun Facts:
- Calvin Coolidge’s 1923 speech was the first to be broadcast on radio.
- Harry Truman’s 1947 speech was the first to be broadcast on television.
- Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1965 address was the first to be delivered in the Evening.
- Ronald Reagan was the only president to postpone his address, after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
- Bill Clinton’s 1997 speech was the first live web broadcast.

Have your students watch tonight’s speech, and play State of the Union Bingo. You can then ask your students their opinion of President Obama's speech , as well as the importance of the address itself.

State of the Union 2010

Today, the White House announced that Pres. Obama's first State of the Union Address will take place on January 27, 2010. (You can read more about the announcement and other constitutionally relevant news on the Center's Constitution Newswire.) This major speech is an excellent opportunity to draw your students' attention to current events and the Constitution.

Constitutional Connections
Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution calls for the president to inform Congress about the state of the nation. This passage is broad and has been interpreted differently by presidents throughout American history. One thing has remained, the constitutionally mandated report to Congress has been delivered by every president going back to George Washington.

In addition to the speech itself, the contents of the speech will also have their relevance to the Constitution, from immigration to health care and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Discover the constitutional connections at www.constitutioncenter.org/constitution

In Your Classroom
The Center is again offering its very popular State of the Union Bingo lesson, originally created by Eli Lesser. This year, the lesson has a new twist. In addition to the card our Education team created, we've included a blank card and instructions for your students to fill it in. This will allow some variety in the cards, and will have your students evaluating current events.

Government responsibility during times of crisis outside our borders

The recent earthquake in Haiti has lead to an outpouring of support from around the world. The United States government has already done much to aid those in need in the poor Caribbean nation. The Department of Health and Human Services will deploy thousands of medical professionals and 22,000 pounds of medical equipment and supplies to Haiti in the coming days. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development have more than 250 Americans on the ground, including search and rescue teams, assisting with relief efforts. The Coast Guard has preformed reconnaissance flights to help determine the extent of the earthquake’s damage. The U.S. military has sent cargo planes filled with aid supplies, the 82nd Airborne Division has arrived, and the Navy’s hospital ship, Comfort, is on its way to Haiti.

Ask your students to discuss the responsibility of the United States government to support other countries faced with a natural disaster. Is there any Constitutional limit to the amount of aid the United States can offer? Should decisions about giving such aid be made in light of national interest? What effect, if any, does offering such aid have on our country’s foreign policy and foreign relations? It maybe helpful to have your students compare other instances in which the United States gave aid to foreign nations in times of national emergency or national disaster: the post-World War II Marshall Plan; the 2004 Tsunami on the coast of the Indian Ocean; the 2009 Earthquake in Italy.

2010 Summer Teacher Institutes

It's good to think about the summer thaw in the midst of a cold winter!

The National Constitution Center is proud to present its Summer Teacher Institutes for 2010! This year we are introducing a new institute, sponsored by the Annenberg Foundation, called America's Constitution and the World. The Annenberg Summer Teacher Institute, Changing the Constitution: Politics and Law in American Constitutional Development, is making its fourth appearance at the Constitution Center and will be held in a bi-coastal format, using videoconferencing technology, in conjunction with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Library in Simi Valley, California. The National Endownment for the Humanities' Landmarks in American History Workshop, A Revolution in Government: Philadelphia, American Independence and the Constitution, 1765-1791, will return for the fifth year.

These week-long workshops are a great opportunity for teachers to spend time in historic Philadelphia, learn from renowned scholars, and create classroom-ready resources with talented teachers from around the country. All workshops offer a generous stipend and travel reimbursement.

Detailed information about all three workshops as well as applications can be found at our Summer Teacher Institute Website, http://www.constitutioncenter.org/ncc_edu_Summer_Workshops.aspx, or you can email teacher@constitutioncenter.org.

Airport Security: Walking the fine line between safety and racial profiling.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently issued new security directives, taking effect Monday, January 4, for all inbound flights to the United States. The “TSA is mandating that every individual flying into the U.S. from anywhere in the world traveling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening. The directive also increases the use of enhanced screening technologies and mandates threat-based and random screening for passengers on U.S. bound international flights.(Official TSA Statement) ” The directives are a response to the recent failed terrorism attempt on Northwest flight 253, flying from Amsterdam into Detroit, Michigan.

These regulations, which recommend 14 countries (Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen) for enhanced screenings, have created a significant amount of controversy, with groups speaking out, both supporting and denouncing the new directives.

CNN provides two opposing views on the issue, which offer your students an excellent opportunity to take a closer look at both sides.

Speaking for the"pro" side of the argument is Steven Emerson, executive director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, as well as author and co-author of six books on terrorism and national security. Emerson believes that previous procedures are inadequate and ineffective, and that the new directives are a step in the right direction. He further claims that we cannot ignore that the “overwhelming large majority of terrorist attacks undertaken over the past decade were committed by Islamic fundamentalists.” Emerson’s argument can be found here.

On behalf of the "con" side of the argument is Arsalan Iftikhar, an international human rights lawyer and founder of TheMuslimGuy.com. Iftikhar states that because 13 of the 14 listed countries are Muslim, there is a clear religious profiling, which will not achieve greater security for our county, and could furthermore create easily identified, and potentially exploitable, blind spots. Iftikhar’s argument can be found here.

Have your students read both articles, and discuss opposing opinions. Ask your students which side they support, and why.

This Week in Being We, The People

If you've been following our blog you know that the National Constitution Center has been developing a photo exhibition in conjunction with students in Philadelphia and students in Kabul, Afghanistan. The students were given cameras and told to take pictures that portrayed 6 themes: participation, expression, myself, commerce, work, religion.

Since this summer students on both sides of the world walked the streets of their respective cities and clicked away. The Afghan students captured compelling images of the elections on August 20th, while in America students took stunning pictures of protests, as well as their homes, families, and places of worship. Each week a selection of photographs was uploaded to the shutterfly site, where everyone involved with the project could look at the pictures and exchange comments as the exhibition began to take shape in real time. This week, the leg work is finally done. The photos are uploaded and the foundation is laid for the next phase of this captivating photo discourse.

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and ten National Constitution Center staff members are finding this to be true. Charged with helping the students write narratives about each photograph they wish to submit to the jury, NCC staff are trying to find those "thousand words." NCC staff have been working one-on-one with the student photographers to help them find their voice and recount the alternately heartbreaking, uplifting, and banal narratives that express the students' lives and explain their pictures.

Staff from different museum departments have lobbied and worked to participate in the project and come from a range of positions including HR, facility rentals, PR, education, and programming. Each shares a uniform desire - to be a part of something that reaches far beyond the walls of the museum in which they work every day, and indeed, all the way to Afghanistan, where students in Kabul are doing the same thing, and where the exhibit being produced will also be displayed.

Walking through the office at 3:15 pm, one can observe Karen Fink, Director of HR at the NCC, and an army veteran, discussing photographs with a student who aspires to join the military.

Or listen in on Sayeh Hormozi, Program Manager for PennCORD, as she hears the riveting story of the young man with whom she works. "It's incredible how a simple photograph of a man holding a baby is so much more than that when you listen to the lives these students have led. In moments, the innocuous man becomes a villain and the baby a beacon of hope," she said after one such session.

In reflecting on his time with his student partner, Hugh Allen, the Center's Vice President of Government Relations, observed that "her narratives always enthrall the reader in the photo while also opening up a window into what drives her to achieve - things like her faith, friends and family. Tying her beliefs to her photography almost seems instinctive."

The experiences of Jeff Stern, International Engagement Manager for the Center, have been no different. His student, an immigrant from Africa, is taking pictures as an American student. "For our purposes, she's categorized as one of the Philadelphia kids, but really she's experienced things--civil war, life as a refugee, and confusion about the conflicting roles religion can play in a young person's life--that resonates with the stories coming from the students in Afghanistan," he said.

As the quest to fully develop this international conversation through images continues, one thing is certain. As these photographs have brought students from different corners of the world together, they have also engaged the staff that works with them. The stories of these students share a universal appeal and poignancy with which everyone, regardless of department, seniority, or background can identify.