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Liberty Park, USA™ Foundation is happy to make available to
educators, schools and the general public DVD copies of A Republic If You
Can Keep It: The Making of the U. S. Constitution. The DVD is a 44
minute docu-drama which recounts the events leading to the Federal
Convention of 1787 which met in Philadelphia to draft the U. S.
Constitution.
On September 17,
1787 the Constitution was signed after months of debate. As Benjamin
Franklin left Independence Hall he was met by an elderly lady who asked,
“What kind of government did you give us.?” He replied, “A Republic – If you
can keep it.”
This classic
remark is the theme of the 44 minute documentary and dramatic recreation
(two 22 minutes segments for classroom use) on the Constitutional
Convention of 1787. Twenty-nine actors portray such leading statesmen as
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and
James Wilson.
The set, a 40
x 40 replica of the convention meeting room in Independence Hall, was
created especially for this production.
The convention’s
emotionally-charged debates are captured on film as actors deliver the
identical orations and speeches given over 200 years ago.
Former Senator
Dennis DeConcini (D-Arizona) and Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), two of the
nation’s most respected constitutional lawyers, are the narrators of the
documentary. The senators were filmed on location at Montpelier, Mount
Vernon, Annapolis, Philadelphia and Washington, D. C., discussing important
events leading to the Convention and providing contemporary insights.
 The film was
endorsed by the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U. S. Constitution in
Washington, D. C. for its authenticity and educational value. Major funding
for the film was provided by Mobil Corporation and the Martin Marietta
Corporation.
Former Chief
Justice of the United States Supreme court, Warren E. Burger, stated that,
“A Republic If You Can Keep It is an excellent documentary on the
Constitution. It is both entertaining and informative. I hope it will be
shown in every history and civics classroom in America.”
Professor A. E.
Dick Howard, Professor of Law at the University of Virginia and Chairman of
the Virginia Bicentennial Commission said concerning the film, “The intense
debates which led to the drafting of our remarkable Constitution are
recreated here in dramatic and enlightening fashion. This is one
Bicentennial film that students will enjoy and remember.”
Now you can bring
the framers of the Constitution into you classroom and home. Obtain your
copy of A Republic If You Can Keep It by returning the form below
along with your check.
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