Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is a federal commemoration observed annually on September 17 by encouraging citizens to learn about their civic responsibilities and opportunities.
This fact sheet is designed to assist congressional offices with work related to Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. It provides authoritative information resources, including links to legislation, CRS reports, sample speeches and remarks from the Congressional Record, and presidential proclamations and remarks. It also links to additional government resources and selected advocacy, educational, and cultural organizations.
On September 17, 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, PA, signed the U.S. Constitution, beginning a process of state-by-state ratification that lasted until 1790. The approval of nine states was needed to ratify the Constitution, and it was formally adopted on July 2, 1788, after the Confederation Congress learned that New Hampshire had ratified it.1 Commemorations of the Constitution's signing date back to 1861, when residents of Philadelphia used the anniversary to publicly affirm their allegiance to the Union against the backdrop of the Civil War.2 In 1887, President Grover Cleveland added presidential recognition to the commemoration by attending Philadelphia's centennial celebration of the Constitution's signing, referring to the "glorious promise of the Constitution through centuries to come" and remarking that "every American citizen should on this centennial day rejoice in his citizenship."3
A late 1930s campaign advocated by William Randolph Hearst to honor new citizens of the United States led to public celebrations of U.S. citizenship in some cities across the country.4 In Los Angeles, this celebration took the form of an event to advocate for a federal law establishing "I Am an American Day."5
On May 3, 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a joint resolution making the third Sunday in May "I Am an American Citizenship Day."6 In his accompanying proclamation, Roosevelt described the purpose of the day to be so "the sovereign citizens of our Nation be prepared for the responsibilities and impressed with the significance of their status in our self-governing Republic."7
In 1952, I Am an American Citizenship Day was renamed to Citizenship Day, and the observance date was moved from May 3 to September 17 to coincide with the anniversary of the Constitution's signing.8 In 1956, September 17-25 was designated as Constitution Week.9
In November 2004, Congress renamed the September 17 observance to "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day" and directed educational institutions that receive federal funding to hold related educational programs.10
Some Members of Congress make floor statements, give speeches, issue press releases, or enter extensions of remarks into the Congressional Record to recognize holidays and observances. The following are some examples that may be of assistance in preparing such statements:
One of the many uses of a presidential proclamation or presidential remarks is to ceremoniously honor a group or call attention to certain issues or events. Some recent remarks and proclamations commemorating Constitution Day and Citizenship Day from the Compilation of Presidential Documents include the following:
Older proclamations and remarks of historical interest include the following:
Other remarks (including selected audio and video clips) are available through the American Presidency Project, established by the University of California, Santa Barbara.
| 1. |
National Archives and Records Administration, "Constitution of the United States—A History," https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/more-perfect-union. |
| 2. |
Jane M. Hatch, ed., The American Book of Days 3rd ed. (H. W. Wilson Company, 1978), pp. 850-851, https://archive.org/embed/americanbookofda00hatc. |
| 3. |
U.S. President (Cleveland), "Remarks at the Commercial Exchange, Philadelphia, During the Centennial Celebration of the Adoption of the Constitution, September 16, 1887," in The Public Papers of Grover Cleveland, 22nd President of U.S., Mar. 4, 1885 to Mar. 4, 1889 (1889), p. 262, https://congressional.proquest.com/congressional/docview/t66.d71.pr2202-2?accountid=12084. |
| 4. |
John Whitmer, "Observing Constitution Day," Social Studies Review, vol. 46, no. 2 (Spring 2007), pp. 77-79, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/observing-constitution-day/docview/199542865/se-2. |
| 5. |
Olivia B. Waxman, "Citizenship Day used to be called 'I Am an American Day.' Here's how it came to be—and why it changed," Time Magazine, September 17, 2019, https://time.com/5677862/citizenship-day-history/. |
| 6. |
U.S. Congress, Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on S.J.Res. 233 and H.J.Res. 437, Citizenship Day, hearing on S.J.Res. 233 and H.J.Res. 437, 76th Cong., 3rd sess., March 25, 1940, https://congressional.proquest.com/congressional/docview/t29.d30.hrg-1940-sjs-0003?accountid=12084. |
| 7. |
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Proclamation 2402, "I Am an American Day" 1940, May 3, 1940, accessed August 15, 2024, https://congressional.proquest.com/congressional/docview/t67.d72.1940-pr-2402?accountid=12084. |
| 8. |
36 U.S.C. §106; P.L. 82-261, 66 Stat. 9 (1952), accessed July 26, 2024, https://uscode.house.gov/statviewer.htm?volume=66&page=9. |
| 9. |
36 U.S.C. §108; P.L. 84-915, 70 Stat. 932 (1956), accessed July 26, 2024, https://uscode.house.gov/statviewer.htm?volume=70&page=932. |
| 10. |
P.L. 108-447, Division J, Title I, §111, 118 Stat. 3344 (2004), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-108publ447/pdf/PLAW-108publ447.pdf. |
| 11. |
Link provides access to proclamations and remarks made by President Trump during both of his nonconsecutive terms where available. |
| 12. |
Link provides access to proclamations and remarks made by President Trump during both of his nonconsecutive terms where available. |