In the spirit of the 2004 act sponsored by the late Senator Robert Byrd requiring all schools receiving federal funding to teach the Constitution every September 17, We The People LIVE gave students memorable insight into the origins and legacy of the U.S. Constitution. The 45-minute live program included narrative about the ongoing story of the Constitution, featuring readings from notable primary source documents integrated with illustrative video excerpts from HISTORY’s America: The Story of Us series.

Presenters included Former Secretary of Education William Bennett, CNN Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry, U.S. Representative Donna Edwards of Maryland’s fourth congressional district, actors Michael Ealy and Dilshad Vadsaria. The program also included a presidential speech reading by Herndon High School senior Elizabeth Lo Presti. Following the presentations, Henry led a question-and-answer session covering topics such as social media’s impact on journalism, the debate over additional constitutional amendments and the relevance of the Constitution to today’s students.

In addition to the more than 4,000 schools that participated in We The People LIVE via webcast, the D.C. event was attended by students from Virginia’s Herndon High School, D.C.’s Dorothy I. Height Community Academy Public Charter School, Maryland’s Northwestern High School, and Dr. Henry Wise Junior High School.

On Wednesday, HMH and AETN announced an exclusive, long-term partnership to revolutionize the way students learn and educators present social studies and history subjects. Using content from HISTORY, the two companies will deliver both traditional and digital education materials and tools to create dynamic learning environments for students that weave compelling historical stories with innovative, experience-based assets and content.

For more information about the partnership and to access interactive educational content and resources, visit: www.hmheducation.com/history.