A committee chaired by History Professor Milton Klein planned activities throughout the five-year commemoration of the US Constitution. Congress designated 1987–91 as “an official period of recognizing our ‘charter of liberties.’” UT was selected as a bicentennial campus in 1986, along with 368 other colleges nationwide.
To commemorate the September 17, 1987, bicentennial anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution, the College of Law held a series of lectures and seminars, and an essay contest was held in conjunction with the UT Alumni Association. The essay contest, open to all undergraduate UT students, required an essay limited to one thousand words on the topic “Has the system of checks and balances served the nation as the framers intended it to do, and does it serve our interests today?” First prize was $750, second prize was $500, and third prize was $250. The winners were guests of the chancellor at the UT-Colorado football game and their awards were received during halftime ceremonies.
McClung Museum Exhibits Coordinator Andrew Hurst developed an exhibit that traveled around UT and to local libraries and which included a constitution trivia quiz and the opportunity to “telephone” some of the nation’s founding fathers. The exhibit also included a pictorial history of the constitution. In 1989 the presidency was featured, with a special political science course being offered in the spring on the Constitution and the presidency. A recreation of the April 30, 1789, inauguration of George Washington was also held on the plaza of the university center.