Media gallery


(l-r) Caroline Davis, Robert Fuson, Jonathan Pierce, and Ardarius Blakely

American Politics and Policy

Constitution Day Observed
September 16, 2011

In honor of Constitution Day 2011, The Riley Institute presented “A Republic to Keep?” on September 16, 2011. This student-acted original series of brief vignettes took a look at the founders’ division over what the actual structure of our government should be and how power would be divided. The furor that played out during the Constitutional Convention of 1789 was recreated, but it operated within the 21st century news and social media context.

A faculty panel discussion moderated by Danielle Vinson, chair of the Political Science Department, followed.  During the panel, Professors David Fleming, Liz Smith, and Jim Guth discussed questions of whether the Constitution’s framework for structuring government is still useful, if the federal government has outgrown its constitutional authority, and if our current system of checks and balances still works in today’s world.

A Republic to Keep featured:

Nigel Robertson as NBS “News for a New America” anchor Brian Jennings
Gabrielle Komorowski as Constitutional Correspondent, Norah O’Donnell in Philadelphia.

and Furman Students:

Ardarius Blakely as George Read, Jonathan Brooks, and Joe the Outhouse Digger

Stephen Trammel as William Patterson, Patrick Henry, James Madison

Jonathan Pierce as  Lucious Dobbs, Ben Workman

Robert Fuson as Cincinnatus Olbermann and Alexander Hamilton

Caroline Davis as Sarah Pale

with Scott Johnson as the Voice of the Announcer

Panel Discussion: 

Moderated by Dr. Danielle Vinson included Drs. Liz Smith, David Fleming, and Jim Guth.