By Luke Tarnosky

On Wednesday, September 17th, Pensacola State College held a number of activities celebrating the completion and signing of the United States Constitution. Led by PSC’s Social Sciences department, the campus was filled with history-related trivia, free pocket Constitutions, and Mister Softee’s ice cream for the campus to enjoy.

However, the main event was an academic panel discussion at Ashmore Auditorium. Led by five of PSC’s most well-respected and knowledgeable history and political science instructors (Dr. Tom Barber, Prof. John Link, Dr. Andrew Barbero, Prof. Rob Thead, and Dr. Brian Rucker), the discussion was an in-depth look about all things relating to the Constitution. The event drew a decent crowd, with people sliding into seats as soon as the doors opened, waiting in quiet anticipation for the lights to dim and the show to begin.

When the panel began, it started with a bang, because the opening act was a comedy skit performed by Dr. Rucker as the eccentric and witty Ezra P. Ponjammer. In full colonial garb, he acted out the confusion that an early American citizen would have if he were transported to the present day by Back to the Future’s Doc Brown and his DeLorean time machine. He commented on modern inventions such as phones, cars, and air conditioning with wild disbelief, insulted modern fashion for not keeping his frock coat in style, and referred to the Founding Fathers with ridiculous nicknames such as “Tommy Jefferson” and “ol’ Alex Hamilton.” When he asked if there was any way he could meet this “Sabrina Carpenter” whom he had heard so much about, the audience responded with roaring laughter.

Following the enthralling introduction, the crowd quieted, and the discussion truly began. The panel of professors answered a series of open-ended questions voiced by the Social Sciences department head, Scott Schackmann, such as how the Constitution set the stage for the modern American government or why the Constitution created a constant ebb and flow of power. Throughout the discussion, the historical significance of the Constitution was a topic that was referenced back to time and time again, with each of the professors trying their hand at painting an appropriate picture of how monumental the signing of this document was.

“It’s a project…” Prof. Thead eloquently explained. “…and you’re still kind of living in it.”

“[And] no project like this had ever been successful,” Dr. Barbero added. “[The Founding Fathers] knew that if they weren’t successful in that room with what they were doing, that representative democracy would be something that just doesn’t blossom…[T]hey had to create something that would be able to…stand over time to keep this experiment going.”

Later, the mic was turned over to the audience for a quick Q&A session with the professors, with attendees asking deep questions that sparked even deeper answers. Many of these questions revolved around changing interpretations of the Constitution, which resulted in a thorough discussion about how the vagueness in the Constitution allowed it to “live” and “breathe.”

“[The Founding Fathers] did not think that [the Constitution] was going to be etched in stone…[It’s] deliberately vague.” Dr. Barber commented. “The accurate view for the people at the time is that this is not going to remain the same forever.”

And when questioned about the role of the modern American in constitutional interpretation, the answer was immediate: voting and constitutional amendments.

“It was basically impossible [to change the Articles of Confederation],” Prof. Link said, reminding the crowd of the shortcomings of the Constitution’s predecessor. “So, now it’s difficult, but it can happen.”

The panel ended after just one short hour of thought-provoking discussion. As a thank you to the attendees for coming to support their professors and to further celebrate the birth of the Constitution, all the attendees got a chance to sign their name on a dry-erase Constitution outside of the auditorium and were provided free tickets for even more ice cream.

There’s always a lot going on at PSC. If you missed the Constitution Day festivities, keep a watchful eye on the PSC website’s Calendar/Events page to participate in future campus-wide events!