HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

Gerald Neuman, J. Sinclair Armstrong Professor of International Foreign and Comparative Law, will present a lecture open to all students and staff titled “The Constitution and Human Rights in the War on Terror” at 2 p.m., Wednesday (Sept. 20) in Sanders Theatre.

The lecture commemorates Constitution Day, the annual celebration of the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, by the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. In accordance with a bill signed into law by President Bush on Dec. 8, 2004 (public law 108-447), all educational institutions receiving federal funding are required to hold an educational program pertaining to the U.S. Constitution.

The U.S. Constitution is the central instrument of government and the “supreme law of the land.”  It is the oldest written constitution in the world still in force. It outlines the structure and powers of the three branches of the federal government (legislative, executive, judicial) and the division of power between the federal and state governments. The Constitution took effect in 1789 and has served as a model for the constitutions of numerous other nations. The original document, covering four pages, is housed in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.

For those unable to attend the event in person, there will be a live Webcast at: http://video2.harvard.edu:8080/ramgen/broadcast/Constitution.rm. The Webcast will also be archived for viewing after Sept. 20 at: http://video2.harvard.edu:8080/ramgen/vpf_ufs/Constitution2005.rm.