Wilkes University will observe Constitution Day on Tues., Sept. 17 with a lecture exploring how the American Revolution shaped the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. John Hepp, professor at history at Wilkes, will speak on the topic at 11 a.m. in room 107 of Breiseth Hall, 137-159 S. Franklin St., Wilkes-Barre. The event is free and open to the public.
Hepp is a cultural historian with expertise in legal history. He received his juris doctorate from the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania and his doctorate was granted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His current research project looks at the development of international law from 1750 to 1950 from both cultural and intellectual history perspectives. Hepp explains “that, as we debate civil liberty issues today, it is important to understand why these rights were created and how and why they evolved over the last two centuries.”
This program is jointly sponsored by the political science and history departments and the pre-law program of Wilkes University.
Constitution Day is a federal observance that commemorates the implementation of the United States Constitution on Sept. 17, 1786. It was this day that representatives from the Constitutional Convention, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, signed the document in Philadelphia.
For more information on the lecture, contact Andy Miller of the political science department at andrew.miller1@wilkes.edu or John Hepp of the history department at john.hepp@wilkes.edu.
