Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is observed each year on
September 17 to commemorate the signing of the Constitution on September
17, 1787, and “recognize all who, by coming of age or by
naturalization, have become citizens.”
This commemoration had its origin in 1940, when Congress
passed a joint resolution authorizing and requesting the President to
issue annually a proclamation setting aside the third Sunday in May for
the public recognition of all who had attained the status of American
citizenship. The designation for this day was “I Am An American Day.”
In 1952 Congress repealed this joint resolution and passed a
new law moving the date to September 17 to commemorate “the formation
and signing, on September 17, 1787, of the Constitution of the United
States.” The day was still designated as “Citizenship Day” and retained
its original purpose of recognizing all those who had attained American
citizenship. This law urged civil and educational authorities of states,
counties, cities and towns to make plans for the proper observance of
the day and “for the complete instruction of citizens in their
responsibilities and opportunities as citizens of the United States and
of the State and locality in which they reside.”
In 2004 under Senator Byrd's urging, Congress changed the
designation of this day to "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day" and
added two new requirements in the commemoration of this Day. The first
is that the head of every federal agency provide each employee with
educational and training materials concerning the Constitution on
September 17th. The second is that each educational institution which
receives Federal funds should hold a program for students every
September 17th.
