From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia
Constitution Day (or
Citizenship Day) is an
American federal
observance that recognizes the
ratification of the
United States Constitution and
those who have become U.S. citizens.
It is observed on September 17, the
day the U.S.
Constitutional Convention signed
the Constitution in 1787.[2]
The law establishing the holiday
was created in 2004 with the passage
of an amendment by Senator
Robert Byrd to the
Omnibus spending bill of 2004.[3]
Before this law was enacted, the
holiday was known as "Citizenship
Day". In addition to renaming the
holiday "Constitution Day and
Citizenship Day," the act mandates
that all publicly funded educational
institutions provide educational
programming on the history of the
American Constitution on that day.[4]
In May 2005, the
United States Department of
Education announced the
enactment of this law and that it
would apply to any school receiving
federal funds of any kind.[5]
This holiday is not observed by
granting time off work for federal
employees.
When Constitution Day falls on a
weekend or on another holiday,
schools and other institutions
observe the holiday on an adjacent
weekday.[5]
This was the case in 2005, when
Constitution Day was generally
observed on Friday, September 16[3]
and 2006 when the holiday was
observed on Monday, September 18.
Universities and colleges
nationwide have created "U.S.
Constitution and Citizenship Weeks"
in order to meet the requirements of
the law. For example, the Milwaukee
School of Engineering (MSOE) has
created a celebration week that
includes "Constitution Trivia
Contests", distribution of free
copies of the U.S. Constitution, a
campus & community fair (in which
volunteer and community groups can
share information with students), a
web page with facts and links
related to the Constitution and
history of the United States. MSOE
has also distributed thousands of
free "Presidential quote" t-shirts
to all students on campus.[6]
