Bill of Rights Day 2008

Bill of Rights Day 2008

The chapter celebrated the 217th anniversary of the adoption of the Bill of Rights on Dec. 15 at St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site in Mt. Vernon.

More than 110 students from Woodlands High School in Greenburgh and Thornton High School in Mt. Vernon attended the celebration.

David Osborne, the historic site’s director, began the program with an overview of the church site’s rich history. In 1735, newspaper publisher John Peter Zenger was tried there on libel charges after attacking the policies of Gov. William Cosby in the pages of the New York Weekly Journal. A 12-person jury acquitted Zenger, a verdict that helped establish freedom of the press in America.

After the students recited the 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights, Chris Hansen, counsel for the ACLU’s First Amendment Working Group, delivered the event’s keynote address. His topic, ePrivacy and Censorship: MySpace meets the Bill of Rights, reflected the theme of the chapter’s Bill of Rights Essay and Poetry Contest. Students spoke passionately about the topic. Many of them had entered our contest. Prizes were awarded to the contest winners in attendance.

Click here to see more pictures.