Schoolchildren invited to help restore Oregon Constitution
In honor of Oregon’s upcoming 157th birthday on Sunday, the Secretary of State’s Archives Division invites Oregon’s schoolchildren to become a part of history by helping preserve our state Constitution and making it more accessible to the public.
The original state Constitution was written and adopted in 1857. It is in need of repair after years of neglect. In 1880, Oregon’s Secretary of State found the Constitution rolled up in the back of a safe. In 1935, it survived the fire that burned down Oregon’s earlier Capitol building.
” Today , the Constitution is kept at the State Archives in an environmentally controlled vault and, except on rare occasions, away from public viewing because of preservation concerns,” said Secretary of State Jeanne P. Atkins. “Oregon’s current generation of schoolchildren have a chance to change that by participating in the Oregon Constitution Challenge.”
The Oregon Constitution Challenge invites Oregon students to help make our state’s founding document available for more Oregonians to see by asking them to help raise the $60,000 needed for professionals to do preservation work on the historic document and to purchase a secure, climate-controlled display case.
In 1984, Oregon schoolchildren raised over $37,000 in coins – mostly dimes – to re-gild the golden pioneer on the Oregon State Capitol. In that spirit, the Archives Division is inviting Oregon’s 600,000+ schoolchildren to contribute just 10 cents each, putting the project on a path to success.
Every school that raises a total of $250 or more toward the Constitution Challenge goal will have its school name engraved on a plaque to be displayed with the original Constitution, so that future generations viewing the Constitution will appreciate their contribution. The Oregon Constitution Challenge is open to all public schools, private and charter schools, and homeschooled children throughout Oregon.
“The Constitution is both an important symbol of our democracy and the founding legal document upon which Oregon was built,” said Atkins. “It deserves to be restored and regularly displayed, and the Oregon Constitution Challenge will give our students the opportunity to protect and preserve Oregon’s Constitution and become a part of our state’s lasting legacy.”
Visit http://sos.oregon.gov/ConstitutionChallenge to learn more.
