GovCentral

News >> Browse Articles >> Announcements

September 17th: Constitution Day

Next week is Constitution Day. On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met one constitution final time to sign the document which is now the world’s longest surviving written charter of government. Round of applause for our founding fathers!

In 2004, Congress established a law requiring public schools and governmental offices to provide educational programs to promote a better understanding of the Constitution.

So, in the spirit of Constitutional education, some fun facts for you:

• Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787. At this time the population of the U.S. was around 4 million.

• 39 of the 55 delegates signed the Constitution, which was written in under 100 working days in Philadelphia.

• At age 81, Benjamin Franklin was the oldest delegate to sign.

• The Bill of Rights was not added to the Constitution until 1791.

• When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the Constitution was moved from its home at the National Archives to Fort Knox for safekeeping.

Most importantly, the Constitution is the document that established the U.S. government as one filled with checks and balances, to assure that no one branch of government would gain too much power. Designed to be flexible, it can be amended as called for by the changing needs of the nation over time.

---