Research Guides: Constitution Day: Constitution Day Resources

An Overview of Constitution Day

The U.S. Congress established September 17 as Constitution Day in 2004, in order to commemorate and celebrate the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia.

One provision of the new law was that colleges and universities around the country should offer educational resources to better understand the Constitution as a founding document of the U.S. political and social order.

Celebrating Constitution Day
Information, activities, and resources from the National Archives
Constitution of the United States: Analysis and Interpretation
The "Constitution Annotated," encompasses the U.S. Constitution and analysis and interpretation of the U.S. Constitution with in-text annotations of cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States.
La Constitución de los Estados Unidos de América 1787
From the National Archives
America's Founding Documents
From the National Archives: "These three documents, known collectively as the Charters of Freedom, have secured the rights of the American people for more than two and a quarter centuries and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States."

Understanding the Constitution

National Constitution Center
Nonprofit organization dedicated to offering information, resources, and programming related to the US constitution. The site includes podcasts with leading constitutional scholars and a blog (Constitution Daily) that discusses both current and historical events related to the Constitution.
Interactive Constitution
From the Constitution Center: This site offers analysis for each amendment from two legal scholars, offering insights (often from competing perspectives) on the history and importance of each.
Documents from the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention
Documents collection from the Library of Congress.
Teaching With Documents: Observing Constitution Day from the National Archives
The National Archives and Records Administration celebrates this important day in our nation's history by presenting the following activities, lesson plans, and information.
Indigenous Law Portal: Mapping American Indian Constitutions and Legal Materials
A collection of free primary source law documents relating to American Indian law.
Native American Constitutions and Legal Materials (LOC)
From the Law Library of Congress. The recognition of Indian nations or tribes by the federal government formally began with the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. Today, there are 574 federally recognized sovereign Indian nations and tribes operating under constitutions and charters within the U.S. federal and state structure.
Constitutional Rights: Origins and Travels
From the Constitution Center: Explore the documents that inform each amendment, as well as compare rights as outlined in other national constitutions.
The Constitution Project: Issues
Explore the constitutional dimensions of many current issues. The Constitution Project include reports, policy documents, and press releases relevant to these issues.
Constitute
Created by faculty at the University of Texas at Austin, the Constitute Project site contains English-language versions of the world’s constitutions, to "read, search, and compare." Click on "Topics" to examine common elements from multiple constitutions, including equality, gender, and minority rights. The site also has a Spanish-language version.

Research Guides

Gould Library

Constitution Day

International Resources

An Overview of Constitution Day

Understanding the Constitution