The Jack Miller Center sponsors 36 new scholar-led Constitution Day programs for 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 14, 2026

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Jack Miller Center is proud to partner with scholars on 36 college and university campuses for Constitution Day events around the country. These Constitution Day events will offer debates, lectures, seminars, and other events aimed at improving constitutional literacy for students, campus faculty and staff, and the greater public.  

Constitution Day marks the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787. Congress officially designated September 17 as Constitution Day in 2004, requiring public schools and government offices to promote constitutional literacy. Many institutions, however, lack the resources to host a quality program or forgo programming altogether. Since 2011, JMC’s Constitution Day Initiative has helped to fill this gap, supporting hundreds of campus events.

“The Constitution Day Initiative plays a vital role in our mission. It improves student understanding of our Constitution by enabling access to excellent scholars of the American Founding—many of whom are part of our JMC network,” said Tom Cleveland, executive director of the American Political Tradition Project at the Jack Miller Center. 

At colleges and universities, Constitution Day is an opportunity for students to reflect on America’s founding principles and the constitutional framework that guides our nation. This year’s campus lectures will feature a broad range of topics, including the relationship of the Constitution to the Declaration of Independence, Federalist and Anti-Federalist debates surrounding the creation of the Constitution, and the balance of power in our three branches of government. 

Many events will recognize the special moment of America’s 250th anniversary as students return to campus.

The Jack Miller Center’s support for Constitution Day events is part of a larger effort to engage college students in the thoughtful study of America’s founding principles in order to ensure the continued success of the American experiment. It also empowers program directors to build community on campus and provides speaking opportunities within our network of scholars.

“The Jack Miller Center’s unflinching support for Constitution Day Lectures mirrors the strength of the Constitution itself, accommodating both constructive criticism and well-earned appreciation, allowing our students to better understand the inheritance they’ve received and the challenges that lie ahead,” said James Stoner, JMC academic council member, Hermann Moyse, Jr. Professor, and director of The Eric Voegelin Institute at Louisiana State University.

Learn more about JMC-supported Constitution Day events happening on campuses across the nation: 

2026 Constitution Day Events

Assumption University 
Topic: “The Making of the American Mind: The Story of our Declaration of Independence” 
Speaker: Matthew Spalding (Hillsdale College)

Azusa Pacific University 
Topic: “Faith and Freedom: A Constitution Day Celebration of America’s Semiquincentennial” 
Speakers: Susan McWilliams Barndt (Pomona College) and David Weeks (Azusa Pacific University)

Belmont Abbey College  
Topic: “The Declaration of Independence and the Rule of Law”  
Speaker: Michael Zuckert (University of Notre Dame) 

Catholic University of America 
Topic: “Freedom of Thought and the Struggle to End Slavery” 
Speaker: Keith Whittington (Yale University)

Christopher Newport University  
Topic: “Constitution Day Debate: Is the Constitution Color Blind?” 
Speakers: Joshua Dunn (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) and Derek W. Black (University of South Carolina) 

Claremont McKenna College 
Topic: “‘Unalienable’ Rights at the American Founding” 
Speaker: Jud Campbell (Stanford University Law School)

Covenant College 
Topic: “Reformation Legacies in the Constitution” 
Speakers: Nicholas Barden (Georgetown University) and Matthew Young (Elon University)

East Texas A&M University  
Topic: Frederick Douglass and Constitutionalism  
Speaker: TBD

Elon University 
Topic: “The Declaration of Independence and the American Political Imagination” 
Speaker: Sarah Gustafson (Catholic University of America)

Emory University 
Topic: “Native Nations and Assimilation in Jefferson’s Lost Constitution of 1804” 
Speaker: Jeremy Bailey (University of Florida)

Great Hearts America 
Event: Four separate Constitution Day lectures, each at a preparatory school in Arizona: Veritas Prep, Anthem Prep, Glendale Prep, and Scottsdale Prep

Hudson Institute 
Event: Constitution Day Reception 
Speaker: Diana Schaub (Loyola University Maryland)

Jacksonville State University  
Topic: “How Best to Cultivate the Constitution in 2026? – Civic Centers or Not?”  
Speakers: Catherine Borck (University of Texas) and Anthony Ives (Denison University)

Lee University  
Event: 2026 Constitution Day Quiz Bowl and Lecture for High School Students

Louisiana State University  
Topic: “Native Nations, the Louisiana Purchase, and Jefferson’s Lost Constitution of 1804” 
Speaker: Jeremy Bailey (University of Florida)

Miami Dade College 
Topic: “Who Defines Our Constitutional Freedoms?” 
Speaker: Caroline Mala Corbin (University of Miami School of Law)

Michigan State University  
Topic: “Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration for Posterity”  
Speaker: Jeremy Bailey (University of Florida)

Oglethorpe University 
Topic: “The Jewish Roots of American Liberty” 
Speaker: Wilfred M. McClay (Hillsdale College)

The Ohio State University  
Topic: “The Future of the Religion Clauses at the Supreme Court” 
Speaker: Stephanie Barclay (Georgetown Law School)

Purdue University  
Topic: “America’s Institutions 250 Years After the Declaration” 
Speaker: Richard Pildes (New York University School of Law)

San Diego State University 
Topic: “The (Un)Written Constitution” 
Speaker: George Thomas (Claremont McKenna College) 

SUNY Geneseo  
Topic: The Constitution’s relation to liberal and civic education 

University of Houston  
Topic: “The Declaration as Foundation for the Constitution”  
Speaker: Steven Skultety (University of Mississippi)

University of Maine 
Topic: “Stop Calling America An Experiment” 
Speaker: Gregory Collins (Yale University)

University of Montana 
Speaker: Benjamin Kleinerman (Baylor University)

University of North Texas  
Topic: “The Constitution: Great Books and Self Government”  
Speaker: Shilo Brooks (George W. Bush Presidential Center) 

University of Pikeville  
Topic and speakers pending

University of Pittsburgh 
Topic: “What does the U.S. Constitution ask of citizens in a pluralistic society?” 
Speakers: Danielle Allen (Harvard University) and Lee Strang (The Ohio State University)

University of South Carolina  
Topic: “I Too, Sing America: The Black Affirmation of American Independence” 
Speaker: Lucas Morel (Washington and Lee University)

University of Toledo 
Topic: “The Constitution and the Crisis Presidency” 
Speaker: Benjamin Kleinerman (Baylor University)

University of West Florida 
Topics: “Is There No Virtue Among Us?: Interest, Ambition, and the Common Good in the Framers’ Constitutional Design” & “Federalists or Anti-Federalists: The Verdict After 250 Years” 
Speakers: Paul DeHart (Texas State University) &. James Hankins (University of Florida) 

University of West Georgia 
Topic: “The Peaceful Transition of Power: George Washington and the Unwritten Constitution”  
Speaker: Craig Bruce Smith (National Defense University)

Ursinus College  
Topic: “Sure, It’s a Republic, Not a Democracy—But What Does That Mean?”  
Speaker: David Lay Williams (DePaul University)

Villanova University 
Topic: The Declaration of Independence as a founding document

Xavier University  
Event: “The Western End of the American Revolution” 
Speaker: Alan Taylor (University of Virginia)

York College CUNY 
Topic: “America’s Conflicting Constitutional Visions: The Quest for Common Ground” 
Speaker: Rogers Smith (University of Pennsylvania)

For media inquiries or further information, please contact:

Marlee Promisel
Director of External Relations, Jack Miller Center
media@gojmc.org

About the Jack Miller Center

The Jack Miller Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advancing the work of scholars who teach and study the ideas, documents, and history we hold in common as Americans. We seek to grow the talent pipeline of university educators who teach the American political tradition, to forge new models for university-based training of K-12 civics and history teachers, and to build a diverse coalition of Americans to ignite a civic education renaissance.