Every September 17, our nation celebrates Constitution Day and Citizenship Day-the day the Founders signed the Constitution in 1787. The National Archives are the guardians of the nation's Charters of Freedom, including the Constitution, serving a key role in this celebration.
The National Archives has displayed the first and signature pages of the Constitution since the entire document came from the Library of Congress in 1952. In 1970, during the Nixon Administration, all four pages of the original document were displayed, for the first time ever, during Constitution Week.
This year, the National Archives is celebrating Constitution Day and Citizenship Day by hosting a variety of online events for the public. Check out the list of programs here and visit the National Archives News to find events and resources about the Constitution.
Amending America: The Bill of Rights and Constitutional Amendments
In 2017, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum displayed the National Archives' Traveling Exhibit, Amending America. Click HERE to access further resources from this exhibit including information on the Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, and other historical documents.
Becoming America: The Constitutional Convention of 1787
The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum also invites you to explore the daily blog "The Constitutional Convention of 1787" which provides a day-by-day account of the Convention which convened on May 25 and adjourned on September 17, 1787. Using original sources, including convention notes kept by James Madison, the blog transports the reader back in time to meet the Founding Fathers, follow their debates on the Constitution, and understand the times in which they lived.
A Daily Blog Series detailing the daily events from May 25, 1787 through September 17, 1787
The blog is authored by Dr. Jo Ellen Chatham and presented through the Center for Public Policy, Citizenship and Ethics at Concordia University Irvine. Visit Becoming America: The Constitutional Convention of 1787 to read about the issues discussed by our Founding Fathers; many of the same issues are still in the news today.
Last March, in collaboration with a number of noted Orange County political science professors, the Nixon Presidential Library initiated a lecture series, "Becoming America: How We Gained and Secured Freedom and Self-Government," focused on the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. The series was interrupted by COVID-19 but our commitment to civic education was not. Until we can resume the program at the Nixon Library, we encourage you to take advantage of the blog on the Constitutional Convention and spend some time with the Constitution in the National Constitution Center's Interactive Constitution.
