The U.S. Constitution

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is observed each year on September 17 to commemorate the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787, and “recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.”

This commemoration had its origin in 1940, when Congress passed a joint resolution authorizing and requesting the President to issue annually a proclamation setting aside the third Sunday in May for the public recognition of all who had attained the status of American citizenship. The designation for this day was “I Am An American Day.”

In 1952, Congress repealed this joint resolution and passed a new law moving the date to September 17 to commemorate “the formation and signing, on September 17, 1787, of the Constitution of the United States.” The day was still designated as “Citizenship Day” and retained its original purpose of recognizing all those who had attained American citizenship. This law urged civil and educational authorities of states, counties, cities, and towns to make plans for the proper observance of the day and “for the complete instruction of citizens in their responsibilities and opportunities as citizens of the United States and of the State and locality in which they reside.”

In 2004, under Senator Byrd's urging, Congress changed the designation of this day to "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day" and added two new requirements in the commemoration of this day. First, the head of every federal agency is directed to provide each employee with educational and training materials concerning the Constitution on September 17th. Second, each educational institution that receives Federal funds should hold a program for students every September 17th. https://guides.loc.gov/us-federal-law/constitution#s-lib-ctab-26533091-3

• 1952 - President Truman proclaims the first Citizenship Day

  (Law Library of Congress)
  Proclamation No. 2984, 17 Fed. Reg. 6931 (July 30, 1952)

• 1955 - President Eisenhower proclaims the first Constitution Week

  (Law Library of Congress)
  Proclamation No. 3109, 20 Fed. Reg. 6209 (Aug. 25, 1955)

• 2000 - President Clinton proclaims Citizenship Day and Constitution Week

  (Federal Register)
  Proclamation No. 7343, 65 Fed. Reg. 56,771 (Sept. 19, 2000)

• 2005 - Department of Education Notice of Implementation of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day on September 17 of Each Year

  (govinfo)
  70 Fed. Reg. 29,727 (May 24, 2005)

• 2009 - President Obama designates the week of September 17-23 as Constitution Week

  (Office of the Federal Register)
  Proclamation No. 8418, 74 Fed. Reg. 48,129 (Sept. 21, 2009)

• Constitution Day and Citizenship Day

  (Office of Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives)
  36 U.S.C. § 106

• To revise, codify, and enact without substantive change certain general and permanent laws, related to patriotic and national observances, ceremonies, and organizations, as title 36, United States Code . . .

  (govinfo) 112 Stat. 1253, 1255-56 (1998) (codified as amended at 36 USC § 106)

• Joint Resolution designating September 17 of each year as “Citizenship Day”

  (govinfo) ch. 49, 66 Stat. 9 (1952)

• Joint Resolution authorizing the President...to proclaim I Am An American Day, for the recognition,...of American citizenship [PDF] External

  (Internet Archive) ch. 183, 54 Stat. 178 (1940)