Constitution & Citizenship Day

September 17

The goal of Constitution Day is to perpetuate the Constitution to each succeeding generation; promote the annual national simultaneous recitation of the Preamble across all of America, especially in the schools; involve all the 50 states in the roll call of states in the order they ratified the Constitution or were admitted to the Union; educate each new generation to the uniqueness and brilliance of our Constitution, the most perfect governmental document conceived by man; and, show the need to protect and defend it to maintain our liberties.

Resources for Constitution Day

The following informational resources pertaining to Constitution Day may be useful in planning educational activities, delineated by grade band.

• High School
  • American Founding Toolkit
  • A More or Less Perfect Union With Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg
  • Bill of Rights Institute
  • Constitution 101 Course
  • Constitution Day – The Founders
  • Interactive Constitution from the National Constitution Center
  • Teaching American History – Federalist Papers Toolkit
  • Timeline Examination of the Constitutional Convention

• Middle School
  • Bill of Rights Institute
  • iCivics:  Constitution Day Lesson Plan
  • Interactive Constitution from the National Constitution Center
  • Teaching American History – Federalist Papers Toolkit
  • Timeline Examination of the Constitutional Convention

• Elementary School
  • Bill of Rights Institute:  Grades 3 – 5
  • Our Constitution:  The Bill of Rights: Grades 4 – 6
  • The Constitution and Our Community:  Grades 3 – 5
  • The Constitution – The Country’s Rules:  Grades K -2
  • The US Constitution: The Preamble and the Bill of Rights: Grades 4 -5

Six Great Ways to Celebrate Constitution Day – National Center for the Constitution

• Explore – Visit the National Constitution Center from anywhere with this special virtual tour of our iconic Signers’ Hall exhibit.
• Watch – In this video from our Constitution 101 Curriculum, we break down the major debates at the Constitutional Convention.
• Listen – On this episode of the We the People Podcast, Jeffrey Rosen is joined by special guest scholars to explore the intellectual inspirations behind the Constitution.
• Read – Learn more about Benjamin Franklin’s Closing Speech at the Constitutional Convention, now available on our Founders Library.
• Quiz – Quiz yourself and test how much you know about the delegates at the Constitutional Convention.
• Learn – Have fun getting to know the phrases of the Preamble while you unscramble the puzzle.

Resources for Citizenship Day

The following informational resources pertain to Citizenship Day that may be useful in planning educational activities –

• Neighborhood Good Extension Pack:  Grades K – 5
• Center for Civic Education
• Citizenship and Naturalization in the United States:  Grades 4 – 12
• Civics Fundamentals with Judge Douglas Ginsburg
• John Marshall Center at VMHC:  The Citizenship Test
• Naturalization Ceremonies:  United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
• Resources for Educators About the Naturalization Process:
  • 10 Steps to Naturalization:  Understanding the Process of Becoming a Citizen
  • Pathway to U. S. Citizenship