USC Sumter to Host Constitution Day Program

Guest speaker will be Wilson Hall history teacher, Tom O'Hare

by Alethia Hummel

Sumter, SC (09/10/2019) — The University of South Carolina Sumter and the Sumter County Historical Society will be teaming up to present Constitution Day on Tuesday, September 17, 2019, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the USC Sumter Arts and Letters Lecture Hall. As always, the event is free, open to the public, suitable for all ages, and promises to be educational and fun. There will be pocket-size Constitutions while supplies last and the Sumter County Historical Society will be providing free refreshments.

Constitution Day is an American federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. The featured speaker for the event will be Tom O'Hare who is a history teacher at Wilson Hall in Sumter and a South Carolina James Madison Fellow. The title of his talk is: "More Than a General: Thomas Sumter and His Surprising Role in the Making and Design of the Constitution".

O'Hare's presentation will focus on Thomas Sumter and his contributions to early America. It was during the American Revolution that Thomas Sumter earned his place in history, gaining the famed nickname "The Gamecock" as he led the local militias that helped drive the British out of the Carolinas to help secure American independence.

Sumter's exploits during the Revolution, however, were not the end of his story. Sumter was 45 years old when the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, and he would spend another 50 years in the county that would eventually bear his name before passing away at the age of 99. It was during the time following the Revolution that Sumter played important roles in the making of The Constitution and the early conflicts over interpretation of the document that followed.

"Constitution Day has become a great tradition at USC Sumter over the last several years, and we really look forward to hosting members of the Sumter community on our campus each September," said Damien Picariello, Ph.D., USC Sumter Assistant Professor of Political Science and organizer of Constitution Day. "This year, we're thrilled to be able to partner with the Sumter County Historical Society to offer our Constitution Day program, and we're excited to hear Tom O'Hare talk about Thomas Sumter and the Constitution."

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