September Theme

Citizens' Rights: Know Them & Use Them

September marks the anniversary of the signing of the US Constitution. In honor of this important event, the Rasmussen College libraries lead the campuses in celebrating Constitution Day and related themes.

On the Bismarck campus, September 2010 will focus on the rights given to US citizens in our Constitution. Watch for a contest and free copies of the Constitution.

Test Your Knowledge

Think you know all about voting rights? Play an interactive game to find out. Challenge your friends!

Play Seize the Vote

Interactive Constitution

The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. That was a long time ago. Do you ever wonder if it's still relevant to today?

Explore the Constitution for yourself! Search the Constitution by a related topic or a Supreme Court case to see how the Constitution affects our daily lives. Check out The National Constitution Center's Interactive Constitution.

View the Constitution

Have you ever seen the actual Constituion?

View high-resolution images and a transcript of the original Constitution at the National Archives website.

Quick fact: The original Constitution contained 4,543 words, including the signatures.

Preamble to the Constitution

Barney Fife tries to recite the Preamble to the Constitution...


from the Andy Griffith Show

Question: What do you think is the most important idea expressed in the Preamble? Why?

Electing a US President

Ever wonder how the electoral college works? Does an individual's vote for a specific Presidential candidate really count?

Find out the answers by watching this video from Common Craft.



Questions: What's something new that you learned from the video? Do you think the electoral system increases or decreases an individual voter's voice? How so? (For some reason, I can't get the blog to show comments for this post. If you want to add a comment, click on the title for this blog post, and then you'll be able to add comments.)

Voting: A Right and a Privilege

The North Dakota Secretary of State website hosts number of voter education videos. Take a few minutes to view Voting: A Right and Privilege for America's Youth. The video clarifies for you who can vote, where they should vote, and so on.

Did you know that all states except North Dakota require voters to register before voting in the state? I'm not sure why North Dakota does not require voter registration, but it's yet one more thing which makes our state unique.

The national voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1971. Do most 18-21 year olds you know plan to vote in the upcoming Presidential election? Why do you think they are interested (or disinterested) in voting?

When you go to the voting place in your precinct in November, don't forget to take your ID which shows your current address.

Test your knowledge

Think you know all about voting rights? Play an interactive game to find out. Challenge your friends!

Play Seize the Vote

Rock the Vote

Rock the Vote is an organization with the mission of getting young adults to become informed and empowered voters. Check out Rock the Vote for information about various programs and issues. Find out why you should vote.

Question: Suppose a friend told you that he or she did not know anything about either Presidential candidate but was going to vote for one of them anyway. Would you encourage an uninformed voter to vote for the sake of having a say? Or would you discourage an uninformed voter from voting in order to prevent that person from casting a poor vote? I'd like to hear your reasons.

Interactive Constitution

The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. That was a long time ago. Do you ever wonder if it's still relevant to today?

Explore the Constitution for yourself! Search the Constitution by a related topic or a Supreme Court case to see how the Constitution affects our daily lives. Check out The National Constitution Center's Interactive Constitution.

View the Constitution

Have you ever seen the actual Constituion?

View high-resolution images and a transcript of the original Constitution at the National Archives website.

Quick fact: The original Constitution contained 4,543 words, including the signatures.

Do you know the Preamble?

Barney Fife tries to recite the Preamble to the Constitution...

from the Andy Griffith Show

Question: What do you think is the most important idea expressed in the Preamble? Why?