Though most history classes that address the Constitution of the United States don’t take place until the high school level, students at Carpenter Elementary School got a sneak peek on Sept. 15.
Students in the older grades at the school participated in Constitution Day, prior to holding their own school elections.
Ken Mogill, a Lake Orion Attorney, who doubles as a Constitutional Law Professor at Wayne State University, was on hand for a short assembly.
Mogill, who has worked with attorney Geoffrey Fieger, discussed some of the background behind the Constitution, and how it has changed over time.
He also had students participate in a demonstration on what voting laws were like in the late 1700’s, and answered some questions from the audience of third, fourth and fifth-graders.
The Carpenter Constitution Day helped to mark the 219th birthday of the Constitution, though Mogill noted it was not a typical birthday party.
‘The idea of celebrating a piece of paper is a little bit different,? he told the students.
Mogill explained how a group of men met in the summer of 1787 in Philadephia, and gave a quick overview of the Bill of Rights, which made the Constitution acceptable to the public.
For his demonstration on the voting laws, he brought 20 student volunteers onto the stage, and handed them each signs to identify their gender and occupation, in a roleplaying situation as adults.
Though all 20 would be able to vote in today’s society, slowly, but surely, certain demographics in the 1787 edition were unable to participate in the electoral process, such as women, slaves and apprentices.
By the end of the demonstration, only four students remained on the stage.
‘It’s important to study history, so, when you’re older, and your generation makes big decisions, you know what did work and what didn’t work before your time,? Mogill said.
He closed his speech by reading a quote from Abraham Lincoln.
‘The education of this generation is the politics of the next generation,? Mogill read.