By CLC Staff

In May of 1787, 55 delegates from the 13 newly-minted American states gathered in Philadelphia. They were there to rework the Articles of Confederation, our nation’s first constitution, in an attempt to address an impending economic collapse: we were severely in debt after five years of war, inflation and poverty were rampant, veterans were owed back pay, and many families lost their homes from foreclosure. There was no uniform national currency, and with each state having its own monetary system, trade between states and other nations was difficult. Things only got worse for the American people, culminating in a violent insurrection earlier that year.

The delegates soon realized that a few tweaks here and there wouldn’t cut it. The Articles, which were written the year after we declared independence from England, were essentially just an interstate war-time compact to provide for the mutual defense of the former British colonies. Its flaccid central government provided for no executive officer or judiciary, the legislature had only one chamber, and each state had one vote. Passing any bills into law required a 70% supermajority of the states and the power to collect taxes was practically non-existent. A new way forward was required.

After a sweltering summer of sometimes heated negotiations, on September 17, 39 of the 55 delegates signed their names to the Constitution of the United States of America. Today is Constitution Day, marking its 237th anniversary.

Constitution Day Recognized by Congress

From Scott Bomboy of the National Constitution Center:

In 1997, Louise Leigh, a retired medical technologist in California, started her own grassroots campaign to have Congress recognize Constitution Day as its own national holiday. Leigh was concerned about a general lack of constitutional literacy. “I spoke on university campuses and schools and service clubs and realized how little people knew about the Constitution,” Leigh, who was then 91 years old, told The Los Angeles Times in 2005.

Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia added language to an omnibus bill passed by Congress in December 2004 that established the event observed today. Under 36 U.S. Code § 106, Constitution Day and Citizenship Day became a combined event that also can be held on a different date if Sept. 17 falls on a weekend. The law also requires that “each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution.”

It was noted in Leigh’s 2006 obituary that she promoted Constitution Day “to organize school children, overseas military and governors to recite the Preamble to the Constitution simultaneously on September 17th across the country.”

The image above is a detail of Howard Chandler Christy’s “Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States,” a 20-by-30-foot framed oil-on-canvas on display in the United States Capitol building. In the painting, North Carolina’s three delegates take center stage as Richard Dobbs Spaight signs his name to the Constitution while William Blount stands behind him watching on and Hugh Williamson waits with his foot on the stair ready to ascend the dais.