The Waynesburg University Stover Scholars presented a screening of their “Expounding the Constitution: The Legacy of McCulloch v. Maryland” video production Thursday, Sept. 15, in the Goodwin Performing Arts Center in celebration of Constitution Day.
The drama ‘Expounding the Constitution’ fulfills the purpose of Constitution Day, which is to commemorate the Constitutional Convention’s Sept. 17, 1787, approval of the U.S. Constitution.”
The drama focuses on the questions addressed in the proceedings of the 1819 U.S. Supreme Court case McCulloch v. Maryland of whether Congress had the authority to charter a bank and whether the State of Maryland could impose taxes on that Federal bank. The conclusion of the case ruled in favor of the Federal Government when Chief Justice John Marshall ruled for a unanimous court, affirming the bank was constitutional and that states do not have the power to tax a federal entity.
“I commend the Stover Scholars for again dramatizing a major constitutional theme, this year the relationship between federal and state power, and the interpretation of implied congressional powers under the U.S. Constitution,” said Dr. Lawrence M. Stratton, professor of ethics and constitutional law and director of the Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership. “Moreover, the drama ‘Expounding the Constitution’ fulfills the purpose of Constitution Day, which is to commemorate the Constitutional Convention’s Sept. 17, 1787, approval of the U.S. Constitution.”
This year’s production is a continuation of annual Constitution Day productions by the Stover Scholars in which they choose a Supreme Court case or a constitutional topic, and research, write and perform a drama bringing that case or constitutional theme to life, according to Dr. Stratton.
“Expounding the Constitution: The Legacy of McCulloch v. Maryland” was written, directed and filmed by Stover Scholar Constitution Day Committee chair Ethan Lown and committee members Elliott Kimball, Becky Shank and Kim Trump. The film was produced by Micah Leith, a senior communication (electronic media) major.
“I am grateful to be a part of the writing and filming of our Constitution Day video,” shared Lown, a junior political science major. “Beginning our work in June, the playwriting team desired to reflect the events of McCulloch v. Maryland in a fun, yet informative way. Seeing the transformation of our ideas from the writing stage to filming and finally producing has been remarkable.”
*This presentation is student-produced content.
