Constitution Day is an American federal observance that
recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution. It is
observed on September 17, to commemorate the day in 1787 that 39
delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed
the document, and recognize all who, by coming of age or by
naturalization, have become citizens.
The Constitution was written by several committees over the
summer of 1787, but the committee most responsible for the final
form we know today is the “Committee of Stile and Arrangement”.
This Committee was tasked with getting all of the articles and
clauses agreed to by the Convention and putting them into a
logical order. On September 10, 1787, the Committee of Style set
to work, and two days later, it presented the Convention with its
final draft. The members were Alexander Hamilton, William
Johnson, Rufus King, James Madison, and Gouverneur Morris. The
actual text of the Preamble and of much of the rest of this
final draft is usually attributed to Gouverneur Morris.
The newly minted document began with a grand flourish – the
Preamble, the Constitution’s r’aison d’etre. It holds in its
words the hopes and dreams of the delegates to the convention, a
justification for what they had done. Its words are familiar to
us today, but because of time and context, the words are not
always easy to follow. (Credit: http://www.usconstitution.net/)
Web Resources
Constitutional Topic: the Preamble
For an
explanation and examination of the Preamble
Why we acknowledge Constitution Day:
Constitution Day was established by Congress in an effort to
increase knowledge about the United States Constitution. The
amendment, proposed by Senator Robert C. Byrd, was passed in
December 2004 and requires all educational institutions to
commemorate Constitution Day each year on September 17. This day
honors the signing of the United States Constitution by the
delegates of the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787.
Read more here Constitution Day
