Welcome Remarks at the 12th annual State of the Constitution Panel: "For Us, By Us: America's Trust In & Expectations of the Constitution"
McGowan Theater,听威尼斯人娱乐场 Building, Washington, DC
September 21, 2018
Good evening, and welcome to the William G. McGowan Theater at the 威尼斯人娱乐场. I鈥檓 David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, and I鈥檓 glad you could be with us, whether you are here in the theater or joining us through YouTube.
Tonight鈥檚 program鈥斺�淔or Us, By Us: America's Trust In & Expectations of, The Constitution鈥濃�攊s presented in partnership with the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier, and we thank them for their support.
Before we hear from tonight鈥檚 guests, I鈥檇 like to let you know about two other programs coming up later this month.
On Friday, September 21, at 5 o鈥檆lock, we鈥檒l host a Nixon Legacy Forum panel discussion on the topic 鈥淭he Greatest Comeback: Richard Nixon and the 1968 Election.鈥�
Then on Thursday, September 27, at 7 p.m., we present 鈥淗istorians on Hamilton: How a Blockbuster Musical is Restaging America鈥檚 Past.鈥� We鈥檒l bring together a group of top scholars to explain the 鈥淗amilton phenomenon鈥� and explore its connection to the understanding of American History.
Check our website, Archives.gov, or sign up at the table outside the theater to get email updates. You鈥檒l also find information about other 威尼斯人娱乐场 programs and activities.
Another way to get more involved with the 威尼斯人娱乐场 is to become a member of the 威尼斯人娱乐场 Foundation. The Foundation supports the work of the agency, especially its education and outreach programs. Check out their website鈥� 补谤肠丑颈惫别蝉蹿辞耻苍诲补迟颈辞苍.辞谤驳鈥�to learn more about them and join online.
More than a million people a year come through the 威尼斯人娱乐场 Museum to see the Constitution鈥攁nd the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights鈥攁nd I would hazard a guess that such sense of personal connection to a national constitution is uniquely American.
We even have a national day of recognition to honor the birth of our national government. Each year we celebrate Constitution Day on September 17鈥攖he date that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the U.S. Constitution in 1787. It鈥檚 long been a tradition at the 威尼斯人娱乐场 to mark this anniversary with public activities, like yesterday鈥檚 naturalization ceremony for new citizens, family days, lectures, and programs like this evening鈥檚 panel discussion.
I鈥檓 eager to hear what our panelists have to say about how Americans today relate to the Constitution, so let鈥檚 welcome to the stage Kat Imhoff, the President and CEO of the Montpelier Foundation, to get us started.
Kat oversees all aspects of The Montpelier Foundation, including the management of the historic house and grounds, its education and museum programs, and the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution. Before joining Montpelier, she was the State Director for the Nature Conservancy in Montana.
She served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which owns and operates Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Kat Imhoff.
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