Extra Special Constitution Day Edition!

‘A Glorious Liberty Document’

What to Know: Today marks the 233rd anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. The event took place in Philadelphia in 1787. A yearly federal observance recognizes what Frederick Douglass called “a glorious liberty document.”

The TPPF Take: It’s especially important to honor the U.S. Constitution today.

“There is no more pressing and timely issue facing the United States today than appreciating the principles behind the U.S. Constitution,” says TPPF’s Kevin Roberts. “2020 has been a year in which the U.S. Constitution and the principles which informed it have come under not implicit attack, but explicit attack. As we do at the Foundation, we decided to have an honest conversation about it.”

Civic Literacy

What to Know: There’s an ongoing effort to strengthen civics education in our nation’s schools.

The TPPF Take: The Constitution is still the cornerstone of U.S. law, despite shocking levels of civic illiteracy.

“A growing number of state legislatures are taking on the civic literacy crisis,” says TPPF’s Tom Lindsay. “Here in Texas, a bill was signed by the governor that will require the embedding of 10 questions from the U.S. citizenship test into the junior year U.S. History end-of-course exam. If we are successful—and we MUST be successful—in restoring civics education, we may come again to understand why the Declaration and Constitution have been looked to by nations across the globe as both an inspiration and a model for their own reforms.”

Time to Open Texas

What to Know: Texas officials are changing the way they calculate and report COVID-19 data—and the new numbers should provide more reliable guidance on reopening the state’s businesses.

The TPPF Take: It’s time to let Texans get back to work. The new (more accurate) numbers support this.

“People were already voluntarily practicing social distancing before governments made it mandatory,” says TPPF’s Vance Ginn. “But the mandated lockdowns meant that many businesses had to close. Only about half of the more than 21 million Americans who lost their job through April have been rehired. We can’t repeat this mistake.