Constitution Day

Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine brave men on September 17, 1787, recognizing all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.

The following are links to resources about the U.S. Constitution. You may find them useful as you study our nation’s Constitution.

• USConstitution.net
  • The U.S. Constitution Online
  • The Constitution Explained
  • The Constitutional Dictionary (glossary of terms used in the Constitution)
  • Current News related to the Constitution
• About.com
  • The Federalist Papers (written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to explain the Constitution to the people of America, and to garner their support for it.)
  • Constitución de los Estados Unidos de América (Spanish translation that is part of the Political Database of the Americas site at Georgetown University)
• The Library of Congress
  • Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention (1774 -1789)
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
  • Scanned copy of the U.S. Constitution
• National Constitution Center
  • Interactive Constitution
  • Centuries of Citizenship: A Constitutional Timeline

Learning More About the Constitution

• The U.S. Senate’s information on the history of Constitution Day.
• USConstitution.net’s fact sheet detailing some of the major false ideas people have regarding what is or what is not “Constitutional.”
• The New York Times’ website of resources for Constitution Day.
• The National Constitution Center’s page for resources and lesson plans for Constitution Day.
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration: nationwide network of research facilities that welcome students, including regional archives for the Great Lakes Region (located in Chicago, Illinois)
• Constitutional Rights Foundation: Foundations of Our Constitution (online lessons)
• National Constitution Center: More Teens Know More About Pop Culture Than The Constitution
• Lyrics to the Schoolhouse Rock version of Preamble: for a nostalgic glance at a popular 1970’s piece that was, for the parents of many of today’s college students, their first exposure to the U.S. Constitution.

The U.S. Constitution for Kids

Introduction to the Constitution and Trivia: This section of Congress for Kids covers the history of the Constitution of the United States. It includes information about the writing the Constitution, the Great Compromise, the Constitution’s signers, the Bill of Rights, the Amendments to the Constitution and what they mean to Americans, and much more. Let’s get started… click on Learn About The Constitution at: http://www.congressforkids.net/Constitution_index.htm

Celebrate the Constitution! Find and play Celebrate the Constitution at: http://www.congressforkids.net/games/signingconstitution/2_signingconstitution.htm