Constitution Day

Background

Sen. Robert C. Byrd, a former West Virginia Democrat and Congress' unofficial constitutional scholar, believed that many American students lack sufficient knowledge of the United States Constitution. In December 2004, Senator Byrd proposed an amendment—passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate—requiring all educational institutions that receive federal funding to provide educational programming about the Constitution each year on Sept. 17.

This date was chosen because on September 17, 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the final time to sign the United States Constitution and present it to the American public.

Visit PennWest’s American Democracy Project to learn more about Constitution Day activities on our campuses.

Resources

Here are some valuable online resources to help you learn more about the Constitution:

- National Constitution Center
- Interactive Constitution
- National Archives: The Constitution – includes an online feature and biographical sketches of the 39 signers.

Interactive Quizzes

Test your knowledge of the Constitution and the Founding Fathers at ConstitutionFacts.com. Try these interactive quizzes: