September 17th marks the 223rd anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. May we recommend pausing for a good cup of coffee to contemplate the significance of that document? Java House (Washington St.), T-Spoons, Capanna, and Fair Grounds coffee shops will shine a light on individual rights established by the Constitution for the week of September 13-17, 2010.
- Java House will feature the “Bill of Rights” by designating each brew station for one of the first ten amendments to the Constitution.
- T-Spoon’s has created a special latte that is the “perfect Union” of white chocolate, cherry and blueberry. Like a flag in a cup!
- Capanna has created a special gelato that speaks “red, white and blue”.
- Fair Grounds recommends a cuppa the think drink as one considers the meaning of “We the People.”
Want your very own copy of the Constitution? Thanks to Representative Dave Loebsack, you can pick up a pocket-sized copy at the North Circulation Desk of the Main Library or at Java House, T-Spoons, Capanna and Fair Grounds all week—while supplies last.
On a more serious level, although the U.S. Constitution is a fairly short document, it is the defining outline of the United States government and the source of rights, freedoms and responsibilities of citizens. The Constitution is the highest law in the land and all other laws must comply with its mandates.
If you want to learn the basics of U.S. constitutional research take a look at this research guide: http://guides.lib.uiowa.edu/us_constitution