On this date in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, convention president and deputy from Virginia George Washington and 38 other delegates from 12 states signed the official copy of the United States Constitution.
This is the opening text from the document that led to–and preponderates over–all the laws that this country has passed since that day:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
In recognition of this event in our nation’s history, Congress in 2004 passed 36 U.S. Code § 106, which designates this date as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, a national day of observance. The law reads as follows:
(a) DESIGNATION.—September 17 is designated as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.
(b) PURPOSE.—Constitution Day and Citizenship Day commemorate the formation and signing on September 17, 1787, of the Constitution and recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.
(c) PROCLAMATION.—The President may issue each year a proclamation calling on United States Government officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on Constitution Day and Citizenship Day and inviting the people of the United States to observe Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies.
(d) STATE AND LOCAL OBSERVANCES.—The civil and educational authorities of States, counties, cities, and towns are urged to make plans for the proper observance of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day and for the complete instruction of citizens in their responsibilities and opportunities as citizens of the United States and of the State and locality in which they reside.
Here’s a chance to instruct ourselves, or refresh our minds, of the document that provided the framework for our national government.
The entire text of the U.S. Constitution, the supreme law of our great and unique land, can be read at the National Archives and Records website here.
