Constitutional History
On September 17, 1787 the Constitution of the United States of America was finalized and signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation that had proved unsuccessful. The Articles of Confederation gave the federal government limited powers, leaving the states with a considerable amount of control regarding matters such as finance, defense and trade. George Washington described the existing government under the Articles of Confederation as “little more than the shadow without substance.” Without the ability to sufficiently regulate commerce, impose taxes and enforce laws, the federal government was functioning on a depleted treasury. Inflation and economic strife contributed to Shay's Rebellion in Massachusetts. » Read more about the history of the Constitution
Join us to Read the Constitution!
You are invited to join us in celebrating this landmark year in our Nation’s history by reading the Constitution with us beginning at noon on Tuesday, November 1 in Suzzallo Library. Come to listen and learn!
Want to participate? See what's involved with being a reader and then sign-up to be one.
On a related note, there will also be a Danz Lecture on November 1 given by retired General Barry McCaffrey on the topic of "International and Domestic Security Challenges Facing the United States." Details for the event can be found here: http://www.grad.washington.edu/lectures/barry-mccaffrey.shtml
Generational Transformations of the Bench
Article III of the U.S. Constitution established the Supreme Court of the United States, which first met on February 2, 1790. In its 223-year history, only four women justices have ever served on the Supreme Court: Sandra Day O'Connor (1981–2005), Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1993–present), Sonia Sotomayor (2009–present), and most recently, Elena Kagan (2010–present). This is the first time in the history of the United States that a full one-third of the membership of the Supreme Court are women. Kagan joins two other Jewish justices and six Catholics, making this also the first time in United States history that there have been no Protestant justices, another generational transformation of the nation's highest bench.
Get more information about female U.S. Supreme Court Justices; can be found by following the preceding link to a guide prepared by staff at the Gallagher Law Library at the University of Washington.
The Tea Party, the U.S. Constitution, and support for civil rights and civil liberties in 2011
Today, 223 years after the U.S. Constitution was ratified, a new debate exists over rights, liberties, power of the federal government and who constitutes an American. In part, this debate has been renewed by the emergence of a new player in the American political arena, the Tea Party. Self-described as defenders of the Constitution, with an especially strong focus on liberty, Adam Liptak of the New York Times writes that the Tea Party "has made the Constitution central to the national conversation."