What is Constitution Day?
Constitution Day commemorates the day that the Constitution of the United States was signed on September 17, 1787.
It started in 1940, when Congress passed a joint resolution authorizing and requesting the President to issue a decree setting aside the third Sunday in May for the public recognition of all who had attained the status of American citizenship. The designation for this day was “I Am An American Day.”
In 1952 Congress repealed this joint resolution and passed a new law moving the date to September 17 to commemorate “the formation and signing, on September 17, 1787, of the Constitution of the United States.”
In 2004, Congress changed the designation of this day to "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day" and added two new requirements in the commemoration of this Day: 1) the head of every federal agency provide each employee with educational and training materials concerning the Constitution on September 17th, and 2) each educational institution which receives Federal funds should hold a program for students every September 17th.
https://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/constitution-day.php
Signing of the United States Constitution with George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton (left to right in the foreground), painting Howard Chandler Christy.
