Learn about the text, history, and meaning of the U.S. Constitution from leading scholars of diverse legal and philosophical perspectives.
On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the last time to sign the document they had created.
The National Archives and Records Administration celebrates this important day in our nation's history by presenting the following activities. We encourage educators and students at all levels to learn more about our Constitution and government. It was put into the U.S. Code, 36 U.S.C. § 106, that September 17 be designated as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.
Commemorating Constitution Day and Citizenship Day
September 17 is Constitution Day and Citizenship Day (Constitution Day). This day commemorates the September 17, 1787 signing of the United States Constitution.
Each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year is required to hold an educational program about the U.S. Constitution for its students.
Access primary sources and teaching activities on the special Constitution page on DocsTeach, the online tool for teaching with documents from the National Archives.
There are myriad resources that can be used to plan a Constitution Day event. For example:
The Department’s Federal Resources for Excellence in Education (FREE) offers more than 25 resources from various federal agencies at: https://www2.ed.gov/free/features/constitution-day.html
The National Archives website provides Constitution Day activities and materials. http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/constitution-day/ and http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/constitution-workshop/
The Library of Congress American Memory site provides numerous resources on the Constitution. These two links provide access: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html
The National Endowment for the Humanities provides content on the Constitution through the EDSITEMENT website: http://edsitement.neh.gov/constitution-day
The U.S. Senate has posted material from the Legislative Branch: http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/ConstitutionDay.htm
The Census Bureau's Statistics in Schools (SIS) program offers many activities to highlight the day at https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/resources/constitution-day.html
C-SPAN hosted a discussion, "Constitutional Role of Judges: An Exchange Between Justice Breyer and Justice Scalia"
We also encourage you to access information about the Constitution on the National History Education Clearinghouse (NHEC) site at www.teachinghistory.org. The NHEC is funded by the U.S. Department of Education under contract no. ED-07-CO-0088. The NHEC homepage features special, highlighted information on teaching resources for Constitution Day.
American Political Science Association - Constitution Day
Department of Defense Constitution Day and Citizenship Day Website & Course