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September 15, 2025|  |
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From the Editor
This week, communities across the nation celebrate Constitution Week (Sept 17–24), honoring the document that continues to shape our democracy. Here in Talbot County, the Constitution comes to life through reenactments, lectures, and community events that highlight our local ties to the nation’s founding.
Talbot250 is proud to join partners in preserving and sharing this history as part of our multi-year celebration of the U.S. Semiquincentennial and Talbot County’s 365th anniversary.
Warm regards,
Sarah Kilmon
Communications Coordinator
Talbot County Government
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 Mid-Shore Constitution Alliance Presents: Liberty, Freedom, and Talbot History
Join the Mid-Shore Constitution Alliance for a free Constitution Day celebration. The program will feature a dramatic conversation between Frederick Douglass (Darius Wallace) and Thomas Jefferson (Kurt Smith), with Casey Rauch portraying Tench Tilghman. Local actors will also bring to life suffragists Nannie V. Melvin and Mary Bartlett Dixon Cullen. This year’s event is especially meaningful as Maryland, and the nation begin commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
106 South Street, Easton, MD, 21601
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Oxford Community Center: Constitution Day Speaker
Join the Oxford Community Center as they commemorate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. This year’s program will explore judicial independence and our constitutional system of government with featured speaker United States District Judge James Bredar. Judge Bredar, a part-time Oxford resident, served as Maryland’s Chief U.S. District Judge from 2017 until April 2024, when he assumed senior status.
200 Oxford Rd
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1st Annual Constitution Bowl
Cheer on local students as they compete in the inaugural U.S. Constitution Scholastic Competition. The event is a fast-paced, engaging academic competition designed to inspire a love for civics and history, modeled after the popular “It’s Academic” bowl format.
100 W. Dover St, Easton, MD 21601
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Mary Bartlett Dixon Cullen was a prominent Talbot County nurse, suffragist, and civic activist who helped bring modern public health and women’s voting rights to Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Her legacy will be highlighted at the upcoming Constitution Day Alliance event, where her contributions to democracy and civic life will be celebrated. To see other "People of Talbot" featured, visit our website. |
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Council Proclaims Special Week
Council proclaimed September 17–23, 2025, as Constitution and Citizenship Week in Talbot County. This annual observance commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787 and encourages civic education and participation.
Keep Reading
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In this speech, delivered before the Scottish Anti-Slavery Society in Glasgow, Scotland, Frederick Douglass rejects the pro-slavery interpretations of both his former mentor Garrison and Chief Justice Taney in the Dred Scott case.
Learn more
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June 28, 1776: Maryland Commits to Independence
Did you know Maryland officially authorized its delegates to vote for independence on June 28, 1776? Just days later, the Declaration of Independence was adopted—and four Marylanders added their names to history:
Keep Reading
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 As part of Constitution Week, we invited members of the Talbot250 Commission to reflect on what the Constitution means to them. Throughout this week, we’ll share their thoughts in our newsletter and on social media.
Commissioner Reflections
“As a retired middle school social studies teacher, my students read and reflected on the amendments in the Constitution as part of my lesson plans on Colonial America. My hope for the future is to encourage teachers to teach it — and for students, parents, adults and everyone to read it frequently.”
— Jerry Seiler
"The United States Constitution is a unique document that truly created the United States of America and set this country on a path to describe how our Federal government would operate going forward. It identified some of our god-given rights that were first referred to in the Declaration of Independence and later codified in the Bill of Rights. It was an experiment in self-government which continues to this day.
On the last day of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a woman asked Benjamin Franklin, 'What sort of government have you given us?' Franklin's response was, 'A republic, if you can keep it.' The United States Constitution set America on a path to become as President Abraham Lincoln said on December 1, 1862 in his Annual Message to Congress, while the Civil War was raging, 'the last best hope of earth.' Without a strong, moral, and prosperous America, the world is lost."
— Wesley Hagood
"Reflecting on the meaning and impact of our Constitution in today’s world, we must also consider generations to come. It is vital, I believe, to ensure that the young people of today - the involved citizens and leaders of tomorrow - must understand that this document grants rights to the people and is also subject to interpretation. The rights established in the Articles and Amendments must be respected and guarded in order to be sustained and maintained. "
— Cindy Orban
"As an educational leader, it is imperative that our youth, the next generation, understand the basics of the Constitution : what it is, how it is relevant to them, the responsibilities of citizenship, and the importance of protecting freedom and justice."
— Sharon M. Pepukayi, Ed.D.
Join the Conversation
We’d love to hear your perspective too:
- What does the Constitution mean to you?
- How do you see its principles reflected in our community?
Send your reflections to talbot250@talbotcountmd.gov or share them on social media using #Talbot250.
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Get Involved
Talbot250 is powered by community voices. Whether you join an event, share a story, or volunteer, you’re helping us preserve Talbot’s past and inspire its future. Learn more at Talbot250.org.
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