Celebrating Constitution Day

Americans have a long tradition of celebrating Independence Day, commonly referred to as the Fourth of July. But what about Constitution Day, commemorating the birthday of the signing of the nation’s Constitution? On September 17, 1789, thirty-nine delegates met for the last time in Philadelphia to ink their signature on the now-historic document they had crafted arduously and astutely over a period of four months, thereby establishing the legal foundations of the United States government in perpetuity. September 17, 2016, will mark the 229^th birthday of the U.S. Constitution, which has stood the test of time as a model and blueprint of republican democracy. To underscore the importance of remembering this pivotal event, Congress in 2004 passed a new law obliging all departments of the federal government to “provide educational and training materials concerning the United States Constitution to each employee,” annually on the anniversary of September 17.  In that spirit, we post this blog and portraits of four prominent signers: George Washington, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton, and invite you to visit the museum this weekend for family-friendly programming. 

Further Reading:

http://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-constitution-amendments/

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/print_friendly.html?page=constitution_q_and_a_content.html&

http://constitutioncenter.org/learn/educational-resources/founding-fathers

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html