Today is Constitution Day: September 17
Today we celebrate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day to commemorate the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by 39 delegates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. It recognizes all who are born in the U.S. or become citizens through naturalization.
A little history: On February 29, 1952, by joint resolution (36 U.S.C. 106), Congress officially designated Constitution Day. It begins the first day of Constitution Week, which continues through September 23. Before this law was enacted, the holiday was known as I Am an American Day and Citizenship Day and was celebrated on the third Sunday in May.
In 2004, the law was modified when Senator Robert Byrd passed an amendment to the omnibus spending bill that mandated all publicly funded educational institutions and federal agencies provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution on that day. The following May, the United States Department of Education announced that this law had been enacted and would apply to any school receiving federal funds of any kind. When the event falls on a weekend or on another holiday, schools and other institutions observe Constitution Day and Citizenship Day on an adjacent weekday. Source: Wikipedia
Learn more: ConstitutionDay.com
The big three:
George Washington was the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the first President of the United States of America
Benjamin Franklin was a noted polymath, leading author and printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat
Alexander Hamilton was the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Father, economist, political philosopher and led calls for the Philadelphia Convention.
Meet all of the Founding Fathers who signed the U.S. Constitution: Abraham Baldwin, GA • Richard Bassett, DE • Gunning Bedford Jr., DE • John Blair, VA • William Blount, NC • David Brearley, NJ • Jacob Broom, DE • Pierce Butler, SC • Daniel Carroll, MD • George Clymer, PA • Jonathan Dayton, NJ • John Dickinson, DE • William Few, GA • Thomas Fitzsimons, PA • Benjamin Franklin, PA • Nicholas Gilman, NH • Nathaniel Gorham, MA • Alexander Hamilton, NY • Jared Ingersoll, PA • Thomas Jefferson, VA • Daniel St Thomas Jenifer, MD • William Samuel Johnson, CT • Rufus King, MA • John Langdon, NH • William Livingston, NJ • James Madison, VA • James McHenry, MD • Thomas Mifflin, PA • Gouverneur Morris, PA • Robert Morris, PA • William Paterson, NJ • Cotesworth C. Pinckney, SC • Charles Pinckney, SC • George Read, DE • John Rutledge, SC • Roger Sherman, CT • Richard Dobbs, Spaight, NC • George Washington, VA • Hugh Williamson, NC • James Wilson, PA
Here’s more reading fun about the Founding Fathers!
Check out FOUNDERS’ FONT, by Rob Herber and Sean Hagerty
About the book: Parents and educators, this is a brilliant and exciting book for our children. A book for every son, daughter, or grandchild. Before the alphabet became a collection of keystrokes on a screen, it was something children carefully learned by hand—one letter, one word, and one thought at a time. The simple act of putting pen to paper was once recognized as an essential part of learning, helping young minds develop focus, memory, creativity, and the ability to express themselves with clarity and purpose.
Today, we live in a world of remarkable technological convenience. Information is available instantly, and communication travels at the speed of light. Yet amid these advances, something valuable has begun to fade. As handwriting becomes less common, so too does an important connection between thought and action—the deliberate process of slowing down, reflecting, and transforming ideas into words.
Founders’ Font is about much more than learning cursive. It is an invitation to rediscover a foundational skill that strengthens the mind while opening a window into our nation’s history. Through the pages that follow, children will not only practice writing letters; they will encounter the words, principles, and ideals that helped shape the United States of America.
This is a fun journey through our nation’s history with our main character, Ben the Pen. As a time traveler accidentally created by Benjamin Franklin, Ben takes the reader on a journey around the country to understand the importance of critical thinking and our nation’s history.
Founders’ Font brings families back to the basics where learning is active, creativity is personal, and every letter written strengthens a child’s ability to think, comprehend, and express. It begins with a simple but powerful step: reintroducing the fine motor skill of physical writing.
Click here to read our Inkandescent Kids interview with children’s book author Sean Hagerty • Meet Rob Heber
