What is Constitution Day?

In 2004, Congress declared September 17 in Public Law 108-447 as a day to memorialize the United States Constitution. The Constitution of the United States was adopted on September 17, 1787. Originally, this day was called Citizenship Day. This act mandates that all publicly funded educational institutions provide some sort of programming on this day. Any school that is not in compliance risks losing their federal funding.

The Constitution of the United States may have been inspired by the Iroquois Nation's Great Law of Peace Constitution. Benjamin Franklin, James Madison and other Founding Fathers admired the framework of their confederation. In 1988, a joint resolution of Congress recognized the influence of the Iroquois Constitution upon the American Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Iowa, a state known for its promotion of public education, became the first state to celebrate Constitution Day in 1911 by mandating its recognition in all public schools.

In 1952, Olga T. Weber successfully petitioned the city council of Louisville, Ohio to proclaim September 17 as "Constitution Day." A year later, she convinced the Ohio State Governor to proclaim it a statewide holiday. By 1955, her movement inspired President Dwight D. Eisenhower to proclaim the week of September 17 as "Constitution Week." Today, Louisville, Ohio is known as the "Constitution Town" and holds the oldest government-observance of Constitution Day in the nation.

The Constitution of the United States is the longest functioning written Constitution in human history. Its framework has been the inspiration of numerous national constitutions throughout the world. Many of these nations have their own version of Constitution Day.

This year marks the 235th anniversary of this document. Students throughout the nation are observing this great accomplishment our Founding Fathers bestowed upon this nation. It is being recognized from Kindergarten classes to universities throughout the country.

Our Constitution is not alone just the working plan of a great Federation of States under representative government. There is, embedded in it, the vital principles of the American system of liberty. Within this document are the protections which guard the door of every home and the freedom of every individual. It is the expression of the spirit of our Founding Fathers. Their goal was to create a system where the people would be forever free and where we would continually strive to "create a more perfect Union."

Our Constitution is also a framework of governance, derived from centuries of struggle in which men died fighting for their natural rights. Our forefathers migrated to America so that they might attain these rights more fully. When they wrote the Declaration of Independence, they boldly declared to the world their intention to secure the right of self-governance, and that the people shall derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

In 1787, after years of struggle and toil, 39 representatives of the United States signed the Constitution of the United States. Within a year, it was ratified by enough states to become the supreme law of the land, with safeguards to protect the natural rights of people. It established limitations of government for the citizenry. This Constitution created a federal republic unlike any in the history of the world.