The right to vote is not enumerated in the Constitution, yet each year millions of Americans register and cast ballots to select representatives as part of the voting process. For this lecture, Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA will discuss the origins of the right to vote and how it is central to democracy. The event is free and open to the public.

The event is the University's celebration of Constitution Day, which commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787. It is also the concluding event of the Constitutional Conversations: Finding Common Ground series that was held in association with Blount Mansion National Historic Landmark. For the series local leaders, faculty, and students participated in conversations focused on the great debates central to the 1787 Constitutional Convention - issues of representation, free speech and equality. The series was sponsored by the Boyd Fund for Leadership & Civil Discourse and the Institute of American Civics. 

This event is also part of the University's Fall 2022 Listen. Learn. Lead Week that was inspired by Senator Baker's observation that the key to leadership was to be an "eloquent listener." The week, held each semester, is intended to provide faculty, staff, students, and the public with the opportunity to engage in diverse viewpoints about pressing topics. This semester's theme is "Voting Education & Civic Engagement."  The week will be from Monday, September 19 to Saturday, September 24. 

Event Information

This event will be held on Tuesday, September 20, from 5:00 to 6:15 pm in the Toyota Auditorium at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy (1640 Cumberland Avenue, Knoxville, TN). Parking in the White Avenue Parking Garage (1621 White Avenue) can be validated at the venue. 

Additional Information 

Rosen is a professor at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic. He was previously the legal affairs editor of The New Republic and a staff writer for The New Yorker. Rosen is the author of six books including, most recently, Conversations with RBG: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law. His other books include biographies of William Howard Taft and Louis Brandeis. Rosen is also a graduate of Harvard College; Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar; and Yale Law School.

The National Constitution Center is a nonpartisan nonprofit whose mission is to increase awareness and understanding of the U.S. Constitution. Located steps from Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the Center engages millions of citizens as an interactive museum, national town hall, and provider of nonpartisan resources for civic education.