Did you know that George Washington was president of the Constitutional Convention, but he didn’t speak during the process? Were you aware there was a motion within the government to abolish the Senate in 1876? Butler County Senior Judge Michael Pritchett knows such things, and shared that information — and more — as the speaker Tuesday afternoon at the Constitution Day Luncheon.
“Every where you look, you can see people who want total power. Our system, as it was devised, is designed to keep that from happening,” Pritchett noted. “It’s important to remember that the framers of the constitution recognized that power concentrated in just one branch is not a good thing.”
The luncheon was held at the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library in recognition of the celebration of the 237th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution.
“Typically, I’m used to looking out at a large group of people assembled when they’ve been told to report for jury duty,” Pritchett quipped. “It’s nice to see a large group of people come together willingly.”
Pritchett noted the constitution designates power to three separate branches of government: the Executive, Judicial and Legislative. He explained that, as a judge, he only had direct familiarity with the judicial branch.
“Recent surveys show that the average American is a little bit fuzzy when it comes to information in the constitution,” Pritchett noted. “So, I thought it might be good to talk about that information, and maybe share some facts that you might not know.”
Pritchett explained that recent survey information shows the majority of citizens know the three different branches of government. And most of those surveyed could name the freedom of speech from the first amendment. However, he noted many of those same people were less aware of the freedoms or religion, the press, and the freedom to assemble in the first amendment.
“Understanding how your government works is crucial to maintaining a well-informed public,” Pritchett stated. “The thing about civic education is that most people aren’t inclined to think about that information after they’ve passed their course and graduated from school.”
Pritchett went on to explain how the constitution was signed Sept. 17, 1787, but wasn’t put into action until after it was ratified June 21, 1788.
“The original document of the constitution is only five pages long,” Pritchett mused. “That’s interesting to think about when you see how massive some of these individual bills are when they go through legislation.”
Pritchett also noted the Constitutional Convention lasted a period of four months — from May to September 1787.
“That means, in four months, all of those men were able to come together and agree to complete the Constitution of the United States,” he noted. “Look at everything that is covered by the constitution, and they managed to get it done in only four months.”
Pritchett listed many random facts, including: an attempt to rename the country to the United States of the Earth in 1893; an attempt to proclaim divorce as illegal in 1914; and an attempt to make acts of war determined by public vote in 1916.
“And if a citizen voted yes for war, they would have to go and register with the military to go fight in that war,” Pritchett explained. “It’s a good thing that these proposals didn’t pass.”
Pritchett was introduced by Butler County Emergency Management Agency Director Robbie Myers, who described Pritchett as possessing “strong, steady common sense leadership during the COVID pandemic.”
It was catered by the Rev. Greg Kirk and the United Gospel Rescue Mission.