278 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS January 27, 1988 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS BICENTENNIAL OF THE To make people aware, a "consciousness" four placemats were sought by schoolteach­ CONSTITUTION program included the following: ers and used as a teaching tool. McDonald's Public service announcements. A public alone reported it used approximately 10 mil­ awareness campaign was built around brief lion placemats a day. Various firms carried HON. LINDY (MRS. HALE) BOGGS TV and radio spots, and ads in magazines brief historical messages on breakfast food OF LOUISIANA and newspapers with pictures of the signing and milk containers. General Mills reported IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES of the Constitution. The advertising Council using 100 million such messages on the com­ and an advertising agency in New York pro­ pany's cereal boxes. International Paper Wednesday, January 27, 1988 vided free assistance for media ads, and it is Company produced 25 million milk cartons Mrs. BOGGS. Mr. Speaker, recently, retired reliably estimated that free time and space with brief Constitutional messages, read by Chief Justice Warren Burger, Chairman of the in excess of $25 million was provided during millions of schoolchildren in 1987. Champi­ Commission on the Bicentennial of the United 1987. on International has similar plans for 1988. Roads to Liberty. A trailer-truck 64-feet Private organizations. To carry out the States Constitution, issued a year-end report long, titled "Roads to Liberty; Magna Carta Commission mandate to promote and co­ in which he recapped the Commission's activi­ to the Constitution," with a staff of a dozen ordinate Bicentennial events throughout ties during 1987, the year in which the Nation trained people, toured more than 100 cities the country, such groups as Boy Scout, Girl celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Fed­ from March to September 1987. It contained Scout and other youth organizations; civic eral Convention which drafted and approved an original draft of Magna Carta of 1215, a and fraternal groups; labor unions; trade as­ the Constitution in 1787. facsimile of the Mayflower Compact, the sociations; senior citizens groups; handi­ In his report, Chief Justice Burger recounts Constitution and all amendments, the capped groups; and ethnic groups were en­ a number of activities that occurred under the Northwest ordinance of 1787, and the Con­ couraged to create Bicentennial programs. necticut Resolves. This project was co-spon­ As an example, a year-long project co-spon­ sponsorship of or in coordination with the Bi­ sored by the U.S. Constitution Council of sored by the National Conference of Chris­ centennial Commission. In addition, he high­ the Thirteen Original States, Inc., and the tians and Jews and numerous other organi­ lights some of the plans for future activities American Express Company. zations culminated when I, as Chairman, that will occur as we observe the anniversa­ High school essay contests. An essay con­ was presented in Philadelphia with hun­ ries of the ratification of the Constitution, the test on the meaning of the separation of dreds of thousands of signatures from stu­ establishment of the Federal Government and powers drew 13,000 entries from 50 states, dents who had signed copies of the Consti­ the approval of the bill of Rights. This informa­ two territories and the District of Columbia. tution. We then marked the 200th anniver­ tion is most helpful to everyone interested in The state supreme courts undertook the sary of the signing at precisely 4 p.m. Sep­ judging, and prizes were $1000 for each tember 17 by ringing a replica of the Liberty the Bicentennial. state winner and $10,000 for the national Bell at Independence Hall, as thousands of YEAR-END REPORT winner. The two winners who tied for first bells across America joined in a 200-second <By Warren E. Burger, Chairman, Commis­ place-Liza Johnson of Ohio, whose ances­ tribute to the Constitution. sion on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Con­ tral roots are Scandinavian, and Mahbub Religious groups. Religious groups took an stitution) Majumdar of Washington State, who came active role, particularly during September THE FIVE-YEAR PROGRAM from Bangladesh in childhood-were when sermons and homilies on the Constuti­ brought to Washington, where they met tion were presented in houses of worship For the first year of its existence, this with congressional leaders and had lunch at throughout the country. Commission worked under the shadow of the Supreme Court. President Reagan re­ Federal, state and local programs. The the superb program of the Statue of Liber­ ceived them and presented the certificates Commission also supported the develop­ ty. Lee Iacocca had successfully employed to the two students. Each received a check ment of Bicentennial programs by 100 fed­ every mechanism of modern communica­ for $10,000. USA TODAY /Gannett Compa­ eral government agencies, by Bicentennial tions methods of making Americans aware ny financed this contest and the visit to commissions in all 50 states and committees of the Statue and its meaning to our nation Washington. in more than 2,200 communities. Hundreds of immigrants. Law school essay contest. The law shcool of college campuses and defense installa­ After July 4, 1986, we began programs to essay contest drew essays from barely half tions also have Bicentennial committees at focus the attention of the country on the of the accredited law schools. The quality of work. Constitution, which most Americans have the essays was excellent, with a University Pocket Constitutions. Pocket-size copies of taken for granted, like good health and of Maryland student winning the $10,000 the Constitution have been issued to mil­ good weather. Studies and opinion polls first prize. A check on the law school par­ lions of people through state and local com­ raised serious concerns, such as: (a) most ticipation suggested that second- and third­ missions and private organizations. The people did not know that the Constitution year students were concentrating on grades Commission's pocket Constitutions contains was the first of its kind, setting up a federal two appendix items: significant dates to re­ system of divided powers; (b) most had a to assure summer "clerkships" in large law confused perception of what the separation firms and did not have time for essay con­ member on Constitutional history, and a de­ tests. scriptive word index to facilitate reading. As of powers meant; (c) many did not under­ Constitutional Convention Re-enactment. resources permit, we hope to distribute at stand the fundamentals of federalism and The 52 high school essay contest winners least 100 million of these pocket Constitu­ the division of authority between state and were named delegates to a re-enactment of tions between 1987-1991. federal governments; <d> many could not the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and Teaching materials to schools. Teaching answer relatively simple questions on the met for three full days in historic Williams­ tools for primary and high schools have Emancipation Proclamation, the Bill of burg, Va. <They added several new ideas to been sent to teachers of history and social Rights, the Missouri Compromise, the the Constitution they drafted: A debt-limit studies. An example is a 100-page book on Great Compromise, the Mayflower Com­ provision and a line-item veto.) This project the Constitution written by historian Rich­ pact, Magna Carta and the Federalist was co-sponsored with the College of Wil­ ard Morris of Columbia University. More Papers. liam & Mary and Colonial Williamsburg. than half-a-million educational booklets CREATING AWARENESS Corporate programs. The American Hotel produced by The World Book went to teach­ The Commission concluded that its first and Motel Association co-sponsored with ers and students around the country. A 200- step must be to make Americans aware of the Commission a plan to have placemats page resource guide published by the De­ the Constitution, how we got it, that it was <trayliners) in fast-food restaurants, hotel partment of the Army is going to 50,000 a "first" in human history and that it was coffee shops, and other eating establish­ teachers. very difficult to get the 13 states to "merge" ments carry the Preamble to the Constitu­ A Celebration of Citizenship. A Celebra­ into a United States. We defined our task as tion. McDonald's restaurants developed on tion of Citizenship on September 16, 1987, one "to give outselves a history and civics their trayliners a pictorial theme with a drew one of the largest crowds ever to lesson." quiz. Reports showed that the 1987 series of gather at the U.S. Capitol. It was joined by e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. January 27, 1988 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 279 President Reagan, Chief Justice Rehnquist, centennial. Over 200 colleges and universi­ chusetts (187-168), New Hampshire (57-46), Congressional leaders, the Supreme Court, ties now participate in the program. Each Virginia (89-79), and New York (30-27). Pro­ and the Cabinet, in a tribute to the Consti­ college must establish a Bicentennial com­ grams relating to the first national elections tution. A live radio and television broadcast mittee and plan events for the years 1988- will also be covered; 1989 will emphasize the enabled Americans at home and abroad to 1991. The program also provides the col­ first U.S. Congress and George Washing­ participate while more than 100,000 schools leges with information and resources to ton's inauguration. The roles of the Legisla­ nationwide conducted day-long teach-ins on help them develop their commemorative tive and the Executive Branches will be ana­ the Constitution.