Pursuit Of Tackiness

By Amy Wilentz

The 55 dedicated men who gathered in Philadelphia in the spring and summer of 1787 could hardly have imagined that their handiwork would one day be feted in such fashion. "We the people of the United States," they wrote after much heated debate, "in order to form a more perfect union . . . and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and to our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Now Posterity is gearing up for the 200th anniversary celebration of the historic document the Founding Fathers produced. Like last year's extravaganza for the Statue of Liberty, the Constitution's bicentennial will offer a jarring contrast between high purpose and pure kitsch. True, the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, headed by former Chief Justice Warren Burger, has rejected some of the more outrageous proposals. As a result, there will be no bicentennial brownie or constitutional hot dog. The commission has nevertheless designed a circular logo -- enclosing an American flag, an eagle and a scroll with the words "We the People" -- to be emblazoned on golf shirts, caps, scarves and sweatshirts.

In Philadelphia, whose city fathers hope to attract millions of tourists for the Constitution celebrations, a local planning committee called We the People 200 intends to license mementos including T shirts and reproductions of the pen used by the signers in 1787. Still, the group insists commercialism will be kept to a minimum. "We're not looking to junk it up," says Executive Director of Programming Fred Stein. "We don't have an official toilet seat, nor will we."

Corporate sponsors and celebrities have been slow to jump on the bandwagon. Former President Gerald Ford is still considering an offer to be the guest of honor, and the Supreme Court rejected the idea of holding a session in Philadelphia during the celebration. To date, television network coverage of the eight-to-ten hours of Philadelphia festivities is still being negotiated. But the planners are certain their program will sell. "It's no different from the Super Bowl or the Olympics," says Richard Rovsek, the committee's national marketing director.

Unofficial entrepreneurs have joined in the fun. Says Columbia University Sociologist Herbert Gans: "When there's a national festival, the hucksters are there. That's nothing new." Pens, place mats, puzzles, ashtrays, comic books and even thermometers will carry a constitutional motif. Hilton Hotels will place copies of the Constitution along with Gideon Bibles in each room. For Saturday-morning viewing, ABC Television has produced a series of Constitution Bicentennial Minutes, featuring Bugs Bunny and friends.

The celebrations will range from the scholarly to the silly. "Harmless history lessons" is how Stein describes We the People's program. In September Philadelphia will stage a re-enactment of the signing of the Constitution, with celebrities (still unnamed) playing the parts of the more prominent signers: George Washington, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin. The city will also re-create in its streets the grand parade that followed the original signing, "updated," says Rovsek, with 50 floats designed by contemporary artists like Peter Max.

On the more serious side, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington is co- sponsoring a five-day seminar in May, and two major U.S. scholarly associations have produced "Lessons of the Constitution" for schools. Nonetheless, many educators and jurists are troubled by the hype and hoopla surrounding the 200th birthday of one of the world's most important political documents. "The Bicentennial Commission is into place mats," says Princeton Historian Stanley Katz. "We ought to be studying the Constitution. That's what is unique about our society. It is what we're most admired for in the world."

With reporting by Anne Constable/Washington