Marietta study groups to focus on U.S. Constitution
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MARIETTA -- A local organization will hold a series of study groups about the Constitution and how it impacts everyone.
"And how we can be good citizens in a democracy," Betsy Cook, an organizer with Living Democracy: Engaging Citizens, said.
The Constitution Study Group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month starting on Feb. 25 from 5:15-7 p.m. in Room 12 at the Marietta Armory on Front Street. The study groups are free and residency doesn't matter.
"We all live under the same Constitution," Cook said.
The Constitution will be read and discussed by its sections, she said. About four months are anticipated.
"We're going to cover the whole Constitution, article by article, and all the amendments," Cook said.
The study groups will be facilitated by Mark VanZanten and Jacki Richey, members of Living Democracy: Engaging Citizens. The group will seek help if additional experts are needed to provide information, Cook said.
Living Democracy: Engaging Citizens was locally formed about three years ago. Among its concerns are fewer civics courses are being required in schools where the emphasis is on science, mathematics and engineering, she said.
The result over the years has been a growing number of citizens who do not know how government works, either on the local, state and national levels, Richey said.
The goal is to inform residents about how the government works within the Constitution, according to Richey.
"This is a chance to learn about how the government is supposed to work and we can identify when people in our government are violating the Constitution," she said.
The study groups will meet in the room where a display about the history of democracy is on exhibit. "Journey Along Democracy's Trail," developed by Living Democracy: Engaging Citizens, that ran from October to the first week of January at Campus Martius Museum.
The meeting setting is appropriate, Cook said.
The exhibit focuses on three periods in American history: International Influences on American Democracy; Founding Documents and the Struggle for Citizenship; and Equality and Voting Rights.
Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.