Constitution Day, September 17th

On September 17th, 1787, delegates from the 13 original colonies met in Philadelphia, PA to finish and sign what would become the United States Constitution.  While July 4th is considered the official birthday of the US, we also celebrate this day and we honor the documents and the ideals of liberty, equality, and justice upon which we were founded.

• The U.S. Constitution was prepared in secret, behind locked doors that were guarded by sentries.
• Some of the original framers and many delegates in the state ratifying conventions were very troubled that the original Constitution lacked a description of individual rights. In 1791, Americans added a list of rights to the Constitution. The first ten amendments became known as The Bill of Rights.
• Of the 55 delegates attending the Constitutional Convention, 39 signed and 3 delegates dissented.
• Two of America's "founding fathers" didn't sign the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson was representing his country in France and John Adams was doing the same in Great Britain.
• Established on November 26, 1789, the first national "Thanksgiving Day" was originally created by George Washington as a way of "giving thanks" for the Constitution.
• Of the written national constitutions, the U.S. Constitution is the oldest and shortest.
• At 81, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania was the oldest delegate at the Constitutional Convention and at 26, Jonathon Dayton of New Jersey was the youngest.
• The original Constitution is on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, it was moved to Fort Knox for safekeeping.
• More than 11,000 amendments have been introduced in Congress. Thirty three have gone to the states to be ratified and twenty seven have received the necessary approval from the states to actually become amendments to the Constitution.