Athens State University will host the annual Constitution Day Celebration ceremony 11 a.m. Thursday in the Kares Library Commons Area. The event is free and open to the public.

For the safety of all in attendance, social distancing measures will be in place and face coverings will be required, Athens State officials said.

Athens State history professor Sean Busick will speak on “Remembering the American Revolution.” Busick is currently editing a volume of William Gilmore Simms’ letters.

A leading literary figure in the Old South, Simms corresponded with and advanced the careers of many significant writers of the early 19th century, Busick said. The project and collection will help scholars better understand Antebellum American literary studies and the intellectual circles in which Simms moved, according to Busick.

Busick has written or edited several volumes on Simms and 19th century American history, including “A Sober Desire for History: William Gilmore Simms as Historian” and “Patrick Henry-Onslow Debate: Liberty and Republicanism in American Political Thought.” He currently serves as president-elect of the Simms Society, and the finished project will provide much of the organizing theme of the 2022 conference, which is likely to be held at Athens State.