Constitution Day (or Citizenship Day) is an American federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. It is normally observed on September 17, the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia.
All classes are incorporating the Constitution into the lesson for the day.
- The U.S. Constitution was signed 236 years ago today.
- The original document was four pages long.
- The Constitution includes seven articles.
- There are 27 Amendments to the Constitution.
- The most recent one was originally proposed in 1789 and not ratified until 1992.
- The first ten amendments are our Bill of Rights.
- Thomas Jefferson never signed the Constitution.
- Of the spelling errors in the Constitution, “Pensylvania” above the signers’ names is probably the most glaring.
- The U.S. Constitution has 4,400 words. It is the oldest and shortest written Constitution of any major government in the world.
- It is often called the supreme law of the land; no law may be passed that contradicts its principles. At the same time, it is flexible and allows for changes in the Government.
- Of the 42 delegates who attended most of the meetings, 39 actually signed the Constitution.
- Since 1952, the Constitution has been on display in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. Currently, all four pages are displayed behind protective glass framed with titanium.
- To preserve the parchment’s quality, the cases contain argon gas and are kept at 67 degrees Fahrenheit with a relative humidity of 40 percent.
- It took one hundred days to actually frame (draft) the Constitution.
