Significance of Constitution Day
Have any of you ever wondered when or why Constitution Day came about, or why it is now just recently being acknowledged? I was also completely unaware of this day’s significance until researching the subject, and was surprised when I was able to discover the history of this national holiday.
This archived article was written by: Chase D’Ambrosio
Have any of you ever wondered when or why Constitution Day came about, or why it is now just recently being acknowledged? I was also completely unaware of this day’s significance until researching the subject, and was surprised when I was able to discover the history of this national holiday.
The federal holiday was created to remember the day that the constitution was signed by the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787. The members of the Constitutional Committee met in Independence Hall in Philadelphia almost every single day from May 14, 1787 to Sept. 17, 1787 when the constitution was approved by all the members and signed to symbolize its completion.
The delegate’s original plan was to modify the Articles of Confederation but sometime in mid June the committee realized that changing them would not be enough. The 55 members of the committee knew that they would have to create a whole new document. The purpose of this document would be to clearly establish the separate powers of the federal government, the states governments and to define the rights of the people and how the representatives should be chosen.
After being signed September 17, the federal government sent printed copies of the constitution to each states legislature for approval. By June 21, 1788, nine states out of the original 13 had approved the newly formed Constitution, which was the final point to creating “a more perfect Union.” Many people in contemporary society view the constitution as one of the greatest examples of brotherhood, statesmenship, and compromise written to this day. It is the blueprints of the most successful type of government ever known.
Now that you have a brief history as to what the day represents, it should be easier to understand why the day was made a national holiday. The law which established the holiday was created in 2004.
Before 2004 however, September 17 which we know as Constitution Day was known as Citizenship Day. Not only did the law state that the name of the holiday be changed, it also says that all publicly funded educational facilities provide educational programming on how America was created and the history of the Constitution. When Constitution Day falls on a Saturday, or a Sunday, all government-funded schools are required to acknowledge the holiday on either the previous Friday or the following Monday.
Many citizens may not recognize it as a holiday for the fact that they are deprived of information and do not understand it is an important day dealing with the establishment of our country. Taking pride in our country is something that Americans are famous for, so hopefully many of you will better understand the significance of this day and realize what it means.
