UNC Charlotte recognizes Constitution Day with CHESS event “From Revolution to Constitution” featuring Martin Shuster

The College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences was proud to host the annual Constitution Day and Citizenship Day event in the Bonnie E. Cone University Center on Tuesday, Sept. 17. This year’s topic was “From Revolution to Constitution” presented by Martin Shuster, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and the Isaac Swift Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies.

“Today our university joins organizations across the nation by recognizing Constitution Day and Citizenship Day,” said Tina Shull, Ph.D, Associate Professor and Director of Public History. “The federal observance was formally established in 2005 to recognize the signing of the US Constitution on September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, PA.” Constitution Day is an extension of Citizenship Day, the original holiday established by President Harry S. Truman in 1952 and observed by other states prior.

By reflecting on the transition from the American Revolution to the signing of the Constitution, Shuster considered what founding ideals are central to American democracy, bringing in perspectives from Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Shuster used the lens of 20th century German-American political philosopher Hannah Arendt to consider how to attain a government that allows for the achievement of “public happiness,” and used this framing to explore the dark underbelly of the American novel experiment and exceptionalism.

The event concluded with an engaged Q&A featuring an interactive discussion analyzing Arendt’s idea of “public happiness,” civil disobedience, constitutions and revolutions on both a national and global scale, and past and present American social and political crises.

If you would like to learn more about Hannah Arendt’s trailblazing work, CHESS will host “The Origins of Totalitarianism: Then and Now” on October 24, in the Atkins Library. The event will feature a discussion led by Shuster around Arendt’s 1951 book, The Origins of Totalitarianism, and its themes followed by a cocktail hour. The event marks the acquisition  of a rare first edition of the book by the Atkins Library, which contains an entirely different conclusion than the one found in contemporary copies.

Learn more and register for “The Origins of Totalitarianism” event.