At UAHT's Hempstead Hall, fifth graders from Spring Hill, Blevins and Hope got a concentrated day of instruction on the early days of America starting early this morning.

Buses brought about 150 students from their resepective schools in Hempstead county to Hempstead Hall, a multipurpose building with a large auditorium on the Hope campus of University of Arkansas- Hope Texarkana where the focus would be on why Europeans came to North America, leaving their homes, why the U.S. Constitution was written and how to use it and how to participate in a legislative session. 

Students were first welcomed to the auditorium for attorney Blake Montgomery's talk on how religious persecution factored in the mass migration of Europeans to North America, then were split into two groups for talks by this reporter on how to use the U.S. Constitution to answer questions about the government and by Hope Academy of Public Service teacher Brett Burg on the legislative process. 

Lunch was provided and afterward the students took a tour of the UAHT campus before returning to their schools.

Volunteers from the Lions Club, the 4-H Club, UAHT itself helped keep the students on track throughout the day. A hot dog and chips lunch was provided by area merchants and served by Lions Club members.

Liberty Day normally takes place on the March 16th birth date of James Madison, one of the founding fathers most involved in the writing and ratification of the U.S. Constitution. But because March 16th falls on Spring Break off days for local schools, the decision was made to have Liberty Day ten days sooner.