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Celebrating Constitution Day
On September 17th, 1787, thirty-nine men put their signatures to the Constitution of the United States and in doing so forever changed the course of a new nation. The date is now celebrated as Constitution Day (also Citizenship Day), a day dedicated to celebrating ratification of the Constitution, honoring its legacy, and recognizing those individuals who have become US citizens.
The law establishing Constitution Day was enacted in 2004. The act mandates that all publicly funded educational institutions provide educational programming concerning the history of the US Constitution on this day.
The Constitution serves as the supreme law of the United States and provides the framework for the federal government. The document defines three branches of government: a legislative branch led by a bicameral Congress; an executive branch led by the President of the United States; and a judicial branch led by the Supreme Court.
Signed on September 17, 1787 by members of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—and then later ratified by the states—the Constitution of the United States has been amended only 27 times during its 221 years. The first 10 amendments are known collectively as the Bill of Rights. Introduced by James Madison at the First United States Congress in 1789, the Bill of Rights became law on December 15, 1971. The Bill of Rights is important in that it limits the power of the federal government and protects the rights of all citizens, residents, and visitors on US territory.
To learn more about Constitution Day, please click here.
The National Constitution Center provides classroom resources here.