Posted on 9/15/2023
Constitution Week is celebrated annually from September 17–23 as the commemoration of America's most important document, the United States Constitution, which is essentially the blueprint for how the government is structured.
The celebration of the Constitution was started by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). In 1955, DAR petitioned Congress to set aside September 17-23 each year for the observance of Constitution Week. The resolution was later adopted by the U.S. Congress and signed into public law on August 2, 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The Constitution is made up of seven articles that took effect in 1789, and 27 amendments added between 1791 and 1992. The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. The articles establish the system of government, and the Bill of Rights primarily lays out rights guaranteed to the people. The rest of the amendments expand on the original document.
The Preamble to the Constitution reads as follows:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Constitution Week includes Constitution Day which commemorates the signing of the Constitution in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. Drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention during the summer of 1787, the four-page document established the government of the United States.
Public Law 108-447 requires all public educational institutions receiving federal funds to teach about the Constitution on September 17 each year. In 2023, the date falls on a Sunday. As such, Constitution Day will be observed in the School District of Palm Beach County on Monday, September 18. Learn more about the Constitution from the National Archives.
The District will livestream a Celebration of Constitution Day event on Friday, September 22 at 9:30 a.m. Tune in on the District’s YouTube channel at that time to watch.
