University of Georgia

On Friday, September 20, 2024, the American Founding Group and the School of Public and International Affairs will host a celebration of Constitution Day. The centerpiece of these festivities is a lecture by Eric Nelson, Robert M. Beren Professor of Government at Harvard University, entitled “Of Kings and Presidents: Monarchy and the Framing of the Constitution.”

Prior to the lecture, the UGA Libraries will host “Constitution on the Quad,” featuring Constitutional trivia and student readings of the Constitution. In addition, historical documents and materials related to the American founding and U.S. Constitution will be displayed at the Chapel from the Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support of Constitution Day: Jack Miller Center, Willson Center for Humanities & Arts, Saye Fund, Department of Political Science

View Photo Gallery View Lecture Recording

The content and opinions expressed during events hosted by the School of Public & International events do not necessarily reflect the views of nor are they endorsed by the University of Georgia or the University System of Georgia.

Constitution Day Itinerary
−+

1:30 pm

North Campus Quad

Constitution on the Quad: Constitutional trivia and student readings of the Constitution

1:30 pm

UGA Chapel

Display of historical documents and materials related to the American founding and U.S. Constitution provided by the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library

2:00 pm

UGA Chapel

Keynote Lecture by Eric Nelson, Robert M. Beren Professor of Government at Harvard University.

What is Constitution Day?
−+

Constitution Day is the annual celebration of the day that representatives to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia completed and signed the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The observance of this day began as “I am an American Day” in 1940 and later as Citizenship Day in 1952 when the celebration was moved to September 17 to commemorate the signing of the original document. Constitution Day as we observe it today was recognized as a federal holiday in 2004, when Senator Robert Byrd passed a bill designating September 17 as the day for citizens to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution and to thoughtfully engage with the nation’s founding document.

About the Speaker
−+

Eric Nelson is the Robert M. Beren Professor of Government at Harvard University. His research focuses on the history of political thought in early-modern Europe and America, and on the implications of that history for debates in contemporary political theory.

Particular interests include the history of republican political theory, the relationship between the history of political thought and the history of scholarship, theories of property, and the phenomenon of secularization.

Nelson is the author, most recently, of The Theology of Liberalism: Political Philosophy and the Justice of God (Harvard/Belknap, 2019). His other books include The Royalist Revolution: Monarchy and the American Founding (Harvard/Belknap, 2014), which received the Society of the Cincinnati History Prize and was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title of 2015, as well as a Choice “Top 25 Books for 2015” selection; The Hebrew Republic: Jewish Sources and the Transformation of European Political Thought (Harvard/Belknap, 2010), which received the Erwin Stein Prize and the Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies and was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title of 2010; and The Greek Tradition in Republican Thought (Cambridge University Press, 2004). He also edited Hobbes’s translations of the Iliad and Odyssey for the Clarendon Edition of the Works of Thomas Hobbes (The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 2008). His essays have appeared in a wide range of scholarly journals and edited volumes. Nelson received his AB summa cum laude from Harvard University (1999) and his PhD from The University of Cambridge (2002). He has been awarded fellowships by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies. He has also been a Junior Fellow in the Harvard Society of Fellows, a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and a British Marshall Scholar.

Accessibility
−+

Access provided for people with disabilities. Contact Lauren Ledbetter at [email protected] by Wednesday, September 11, 2024 for specific requests.

Relevant Links
−+

American Founding Group
Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Transcript of the U.S. Constitution at the National Archives
The National Constitution Center

Previous Constitution Day Events
−+

2015
Jack Rakove, “What Did the Constitution Really Mean? Two Interpretations”

2016
Akhil Reed Amar, “The Constitution at a Crossroads”

2017
Michael J. Klarman, “The Constitution as a Coup Against Public Opinion”

2018
Carol Berkin, “Born in Crisis: The Emergence in the 1790s of an American Identity”

2019
Alan Taylor, “Competing Constitutions: North America, 1783-1795”

2020
Michael Zuckert, “The Consistency of James Madison: the Bill of Rights”

2021
Annette Gordon-Reed, “On Juneteenth: History, Memory, the Present and the Future”

2022
Sanford V. Levinson, “Reflections of a Would-be Framer”

2023
Mary Sarah Bilder, “The Framing Generation and Female Genius”

2024
Eric Nelson, “Of Kings and Presidents: Monarchy and the Framing of the Constitution”

Constitution Day 2024

Sep 2024

On Friday, September 20, 2024, the American Founding Group and the School of Public and International Affairs hosted a celebration of Constitution Day. The centerpiece of these festivities was a

Read More >

35 Photos

2023 – SPIA Study Away Programs

Oct 2023

Read More >

56 Photos

2023 Constitution Day

Sep 2023

On Friday, September 15, 2023, the American Founding Group and the School of Public and International Affairs hosted a celebration of Constitution Day. The centerpiece of these festivities was a

Read More >

19 Photos

2023 ESRA Conference

Jun 2023

Read More >

22 Photos

2022 Constitution Day

Sep 2022

On Friday, September 16, 2022, the American Founding Group and the School of Public and International Affairs hosted a celebration of Constitution Day. The centerpiece of these festivities was a

Read More >

21 Photos

Dean Lauth Portrait Unveiling

Sep 2019

Read More >

71 Photos

Charles S. Bullock 50th Anniversary Celebration

Dec 2018

Read More >

61 Photos

Keith T. Poole: A Retrospective of his Scholarly Contributions

May 2017

Read More >

20 Photos

2017 Networking Night

Apr 2017

On April 21, 2017, the third annual SPIA Networking Night was hosted at the Holiday Inn in Athens, GA. There were over 250 alumni, faculty, students, and organizations in attendance.

Read More >

31 Photos

Visiting Practitioners Symposium

Apr 2017

On April 21, 2017, leading experts from across the nation to participated in a series of panel discussions on the latest trends, challenges and opportunities facing the practice of politics.

Read More >

11 Photos

Political Science 75th Anniversary Celebration

Apr 2017

On Saturday, April 22, the Political Science 75th Anniversary Celebration was held at the Athens Country Club. The dinner program showcased Political Science Alumni Through the Ages. Panelists included: Ms.

Read More >

47 Photos

2017 Georgia Legislative Outlook

Feb 2017

The 2017 Georgia Legislative Outlook event, hosted at Troutman Sanders LLP on January 31, 2017, featured a discussion between Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives David Ralston and Dr.

Read More >

32 Photos

SPIA DC Reception & Program

Nov 2016

On November 16, 2016, the School of Public and International Affairs hosted its annual reception and program for alumni and friends in Washington DC. The event’s program featured a post-election

Read More >

52 Photos

Constitution Day 2016

Sep 2016

On September 16, 2016, the American Founding Group, the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), and the UGA Law School hosted a celebration of Constitution Day. The centerpiece of these

Read More >

19 Photos

Political Science 75th Anniversary Kickoff Reception

Sep 2016

On September 14, 2016, the Department of Political Science kicked off its 75th anniversary year with a reception at Nelson Mullins law firm in Atlantic Station overlooking the Atlanta skyline.

Read More >

108 Photos

2016 Georgia Legislative Outlook

Mar 2016

The 2016 Georgia Legislative Outlook event, hosted at Troutman Sanders LLP on March 17, 2016, featured a discussion between Lieutenant Governor of Georgia Casey Cagle and Dr. Charles S. Bullock III.

Read More >

21 Photos

2016 Separation Powers Conference

Feb 2016

The Department of Political Science held a Separation of Powers Conference at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education February 19-20, 2016. This conference brought together prominent and emerging scholars from the

Read More >

12 Photos

George S. Parthemos Lecture 2014

Oct 2014

The annual George S. Parthemos Lecture took place on October 15, 2014 in the Richard B. Russell Special Collections Libraries. Dr. David Mayhew, the Sterling Professor of Political Science at

Read More >

7 Photos

PolMeth XXXI

Jul 2014

The University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs held the 31st Annual Meeting of the Society for Political Methodology on July 24-26 at the Georgia Center for Continuing

Read More >

10 Photos

This is our spring at UGA

Feb 2014

Spring arrives early here at UGA. We start wear sandals in January, shorts and t-shirts in February and you can catch us walking barefoot through the grass on North Campus

Read More >

9 Photos

It’s pretty quiet here… except on Saturdays

Feb 2014

Some would say that fall is the best time of year at UGA. And they’d be 30% right. Spring and summer are great, too. Maybe it’s the smell of coffee

Read More >

9 Photos

Maymester China

Jan 2014

Maymester China provides an opportunity for students to learn first-hand about a society very different from our own, but in many ways very familiar. 2016 participants, an information session will

Read More >

13 Photos

2013 Georgia Legislative Outlook

Feb 2013

The inaugural Georgia Legislative Outlook event in 2013 featured a discussion between Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives David Ralston and President Pro Tempore of the Georgia State Senate David

Read More >

23 Photos

Department Contact

Keith Dougherty
Keith Dougherty

Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor
Professor of Political Science

408 Baldwin Hall

Office: 706-542-2057

Office Hours:

By Appointment

The Latest News from SPIA

View all News >

College of Engineering, School of Public and International Affairs partner on unique Double Dawgs pathway

Oct 2024

College of Engineering, School of Public and International Affairs partner on unique Double Dawgs pathway

by Lillian Balance originally posted on UGA Today New Double Dawgs program offers students a path toward leadership positions in various fields Engineering majors with an interest in energy policy

Dec 2024

2025 Bulldog 100

The Bulldog 100 embody the best of what the University of Georgia stands for. These alumni are leading the way in business and building better communities. They demonstrate the value

MEET OUR 40 UNDER 40 HONOREE: AUDREY LEWIS

Dec 2024

MEET OUR 40 UNDER 40 HONOREE: AUDREY LEWIS

Earlier this year, the University of Georgia announced the 2024 40 Under 40 honorees. The winners include 8 graduates with SPIA degrees. 40 Under 40 celebrates young alumni leading the

Long COVID-19 is costing Americans money

Dec 2024

Long COVID-19 is costing Americans money

Originally posted on UGA Today By Leigh Hataway Lower income groups more likely to experience food insecurity, inability to pay bills due to condition The COVID-19 pandemic panic that characterized the

Join us for an Event

View all Events >

Jan 2
Spring Semester 2025 – Orientation & Advising

All Day

Jan 6
Spring Semester 2025 – Classes Begin

All Day

Jan 6
Spring Semester 2025 – Drop/Add Period

All Day