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Members of the public gathered at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site Monday to celebrate Constitution Week in Indiana.
Attendees, including members of the Daughters of the American Revolution from around the state, joined Charles Hyde, president and CEO of the presidential site, at the Johnson-Floyd Family Presidential Commons to lay roses on the Charters of Freedom display in the Sarah Evans Barker Citizenship Plaza.
The Charters of Freedom is a public display of the nation’s founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Those at Monday’s event laid roses on the display to commemorate the 237th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution in 1787, and to celebrate the governing system laid out by leaders.
The Constitution is the oldest written governing document that’s still in use today. September 17 is recognized as Constitution Day across the United States.
The rose laying tradition also encourages residents’ participation in the country’s government. The rose is the national flower of the United States.
During the event, Hyde reminded witnesses of President Benjamin Harrison’s impact on the nation, and his words about the dedication Americans should have to the governing body that keeps the country afloat.
“In the defining American tradition, ‘unlike many other people, less happy, we give our devotion to a government, to its constitution, to its flag, and not to man,’” Hyde said.
Hyde recognized Harrison as a great champion of the law and of the Constitution.
Harrison was the first law professor at Standard University, published “This Country of Ours,” a book on the American system of self-government, and was a founding member of the Indianapolis Bar Association and the Indiana State Bar Association.
“Few lives in this country’s history have been so deeply shaped by a desire to uphold the Constitution and justice through law,” Hyde said of the former president.
Also in attendance was Indiana Southern District Judge James Hanlon.
Hanlon stressed the importance of the Constitution to our government back in the 1700s and still today, despite circumstances and technological advances setting the two apart.
“The more informed citizens are about the way our government works, the better equipped they are to understand what they can do to anticipate civic life and influence the issues that they care about,” said Hanlon.
Members of the public interested in laying their own rose can do so on Tuesday at the presidential site.
Roses can be purchased online and include a note with your name or the name of someone you wish to honor, including a friend, family member, veteran, or founder.
Donations go toward the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site and its mission to advance history and civics education.
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