U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, on Monday encouraged Franklin College students to embrace the character of the man their school is named for.
Young was the college’s annual Constitution Day speaker, though the remarks came on the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Franklin College President Kerry Prather led a moment of silence for those lost on that day before introducing Young.
Written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and in effect since 1789, the United States Constitution is the world’s longest-surviving written charter of government. It outlines the powers of the three branches of government and how each can keep the others in check. It outlines the system to collect taxes, coin money, raise and support an army, declare war, establish post offices, create patent laws, and establish a federal judicial system, among other key cornerstones.
Constitution Day is celebrated each year on Sept. 17, marking the anniversary the document was signed. The day honors the 39 founding fathers, including Benjamin Franklin, Franklin College’s namesake.
Young, a military veteran who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, discussed the importance of an unwavering Constitution and its place not just in the United States, but around the world.
“It’s appropriate that today we reflect on this Constitution Day. After all, the 9/11 terrorists attacked those freedoms which our Constitution guards. They, of course, failed,” Young said. “Our Constitution stands for much more than the United States. The Constitution is the oldest government charter in existence. It still inspires freedom-seeking men and women and countless other governments from Europe, to Africa and Latin America that have modeled their system of government after it.”
Young encouraged the crowd of more than 100 people, which included many political science students, to take charge and use the model of Franklin to shape their character as they lead in the future.
“The spirit of Franklin must live on in your own lives and beyond. Ben Franklin didn’t just catch lightning or create bifocals. He did more than map the Gulf Stream, search for the source of northern lights (and) seek a cure for the common cold,” he said. “His fingerprints are all over our two seminal founding documents: the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. Above all else, Benjamin Franklin led his creativity, his time and talent to the betterment of his fellow citizens and the creation of this country.”
Young stressed the importance of students using not only creativity and innovation, but the need to work with others to solve everyday problems. He alluded to China and the need to win a technological race against the country.
“We’re in the early stages of a competition with the People’s Republic of China. This competition will determine whether human rights, which are protected by our Constitution, or China’s disregard for those human rights will govern the future,” Young said. “The contest is in actuality, a race. It’s a race to invent and to master new technologies, technologies that can make our people more prosperous, can make us live longer and can also make our military stronger.”
In order to win this race, the opportunity gap will need to be closed and Americans will need to trust each other and work together, he said.
“America is comprised of more than 3,000 counties and a full third of our nation’s wealth comes from just 31 counties,” he said, referring to an article from the Los Angeles Times. “The resulting opportunity gap has cast doubts on the equal shot at success, it’s assumed to be protected by our Constitution, and it’s sewing distrust between so many of our citizens.”
Young also fielded pre-written questions from Franklin College political science students. One was about partisanship in government and the U.S. Supreme Court. Young, who the Indiana Chamber of Commerce named Bayr-Lugar Government Leader of the Year, carried an optimistic tone and said he believes there is common ground that can be found among leaders from the two major parties. He also said he believes Supreme Court justices could find nuances in their approach to the Constitution.
“This is tempered optimism, but what you’re going to hear from me is you’re going to begin to see fewer judges on the extreme,” Young said. “You’re gonna have more judges on the right who will admit that the original words of the Constitution don’t cover everything and not every legal precedent covers every contingency. Then you’ll have more progressive judges do what I already see them doing, which is accepting that words mean something.”
Young also answered a question about the best way for young people to educate themselves to become knowledgeable citizens. Talking to colleagues and neighbors to get new insight and perspectives is key for people who want to find solutions to modern-day problems, Young said.
“I think if one attempts to do what (Benjamin) Franklin did, which is cultivate certain attributes of curiosity and have humility, you will seek out additional information,” Young said. “Our form of government comes with certain duties for each and every citizen. Among those duties is to be generally informed of current events and opinions that are circulating. You need to know your neighbors’ views on things if you’re going to be part of this republic and if you’re going to work together to solve problems.”
