Constitution Day

U.S. Constitution (text)

U.S. Constitution (document)

U.S. Constitution vs. Pop Culture




Senator Robert C. Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat and the United States Congress unofficial constitutional scholar, believes that American primary, secondary, and post-secondary students lack significant knowledge regarding the United States Constitution. In December 2004, Senator Byrd offered an amendment passed by both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate in attempt to increase constitutional knowledge.

The legislation requires that all educational institutions that receive federal funds implement educational programs relating to the United States Constitution on September 17 of each year. September 17th was selected as the date for celebration due to the fact the on September 17, 1787 the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the last time to sign the United States Constitution and presented it to the American public.

The United States Department of Education, charged with implementation of this legislative requirement, intentionally left the implementation language vague. With no specific curriculum of interpretation of the United States Constitution provided by the U.S Department of Education or Senator Byrd, academic institutions are free to provide a wide array of programming for their students.

In order to provide even more flexibility, implementation rules included provisions for when September 17 falls on a weekend or Federal Holiday. In such cases, "Constitution Day" may be celebrated the preceding or following week.

However your campus decides to provide programming fulfilling this requirement, purposeful and educational programming relating to the United States Constitution provides students with increases awareness and appreciation of this important document of freedom.

University of South Alabama - Mobile Alabama 36688-0002 / 1 (251) 460-6494
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Date last changed: September 12, 2005 5:56 PM
http://www.southalabama.edu/constitutionday/background.html