Happy Constitution Day!
September 17 is one of those dates that tends to quietly pass by every year. There are no fireworks, no cookouts, and most of us don’t get the day off work.
But something pretty remarkable happened on this date 239 years ago.
On September 17, 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention gathered in Philadelphia and signed the document that would become the framework for the government of the United States of America.
That document begins with three incredibly important words:
We the People.
And maybe that’s exactly why Constitution Day deserves a little more attention than we usually give it.
Why September 17?
The Constitutional Convention had been meeting in Philadelphia throughout the summer of 1787. The delegates argued, compromised, and wrestled with enormous questions about representation, federal power, state power, executive authority, the judiciary, taxation, and how a republic could possibly hold together across a growing nation.
The Constitution they produced wasn’t the end of those debates. Ratification still had to happen, and the Bill of Rights would follow.
But on September 17, 1787, the delegates who supported the finished document signed their names. That’s why September 17 is recognized today as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.
And here’s something a lot of Americans still don’t know.
Did You Know Constitution Day Comes With a Federal Requirement for Schools?
In 2004, Congress included a provision in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005—Public Law 108-447—requiring educational institutions that receive federal funding to hold an educational program about the United States Constitution on September 17 each year.
In fact, the U.S. Department of Education issued another reminder to educational institutions just yesterday about that requirement.
The law says:
“Each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution.”
When September 17 falls on a weekend or holiday, the program may be held during the preceding or following week.
Interestingly, Congress didn’t dictate exactly what that educational program has to look like. Schools have considerable flexibility in determining how they teach it.
And I actually think that’s an opportunity, because Constitution Day can be much more than memorizing the three branches of government or identifying the opening words of the Preamble.
It can be an opportunity to ask bigger questions. Why did the Founders divide government power? Why are there checks and balances? What powers belong to the federal government—and what powers don’t? Why did the Founders believe concentrated power was dangerous? And what role are ordinary citizens supposed to play in this entire experiment?
Those are questions worth asking at every age.
What Is Your School Doing Today?
If you have children or grandchildren in a school that receives federal funding, ask them what they learned about the Constitution today. You might also simply ask your school, “What did we do for Constitution Day this year?”
Not as a “gotcha,” but as an opportunity.
Teachers and administrators are juggling a thousand different requirements, and Constitution Day gives parents, grandparents, teachers, school boards, and community members an easy opening to encourage more civic education.
And thankfully, nobody has to reinvent the wheel.
There Are Free Resources Available
Patriot Academy has a Constitution Day presentation designed specifically for schools, making it easy for educators or community members to introduce students to the Constitution.
And the best part?
It’s FREE.
So whether you’re a classroom teacher, homeschool parent, grandparent, school board member, or simply someone who wants the next generation to understand how their government works, there are plenty of resources available.
But I think there’s an even bigger conversation we should be having on Constitution Day.
Teaching the Constitution Isn’t Just for Kids
It’s easy to point toward our schools and say, “Kids need to learn the Constitution!”
They absolutely should.
But what about us?
How well do we understand it? Could we explain why the Electoral College exists? Could we explain federalism? Do we understand the difference between enumerated powers and reserved powers? Do we know what each branch of government is actually authorized to do—and just as importantly, what it isn’t authorized to do?
Could we explain why the Constitution was designed the way it was instead of simply naming its parts?
I have become increasingly convinced that civic education isn’t something we graduate from. It’s something citizens should continue throughout their lives.
Because the Constitution doesn’t operate by itself. It’s a piece of parchment.
The institutions it created depend upon human beings—elected officials, judges, public servants and, ultimately, citizens—understanding their responsibilities within the system.
And that brings me to something I’ve become pretty passionate about.
Community Night Is About Learning Together
One of my favorite things I’ve started this year is Patriot Academy Community Night.
Every Monday night, we gather online with people from all over the country who simply want to learn. We’ve studied America’s founding, talked about current events, brought in special guests, asked a LOT of questions, and probably gone down a few rabbit holes along the way. 😂
But the goal has never been to create a room full of people who already know everything.
Quite the opposite.
Community Night is for lifelong learners. It’s a place where you can show up with questions, learn alongside other people, and hopefully walk away understanding our country—and your role as a citizen—a little better than you did before.
Which makes what we’re starting next week especially appropriate.
We’re Starting Rebuilding Liberty Monday Night!
Beginning Monday night, we’re going to start working our way through Patriot Academy’s Rebuilding Liberty curriculum together.
And if you’ve been watching Community Night from the sidelines thinking, Maybe I should join them sometime, this is a GREAT time to jump in.
You don’t need a political science degree or an encyclopedic knowledge of American history. You don’t need to have memorized the Constitution. And you definitely don’t need to have all the answers.
That’s the point.
Rebuilding Liberty takes us beyond simply memorizing facts about America’s founding and helps us understand the principles behind our system of government. More importantly, it challenges us to think about what those principles look like when ordinary citizens put them into practice in their own homes and communities.
We’ll learn together, discuss what we’re learning, ask questions, and figure out how the principles we’re studying translate into citizenship in real life.
Patriot Academy Community Night meets Mondays from 8:00–9:30 PM Eastern, and you’re welcome to join us.
Maybe That’s the Real Lesson of Constitution Day
Benjamin Franklin is famously reported to have been asked at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention what kind of government the delegates had created.
His answer has echoed through American history:
“A republic, if you can keep it.”
We tend to focus on the words “a republic.” But I’ve been thinking more and more about the second half of that sentence.
“If you can keep it.”
Those words imply responsibility.
A republic requires something from the people who inherit it. It requires citizens who are willing to learn, ask questions, understand the structure and limits of their government, participate in their communities, and teach the next generation.
And sometimes that begins with something incredibly simple.
Open the Constitution. Read it with your family. Ask your kids what they learned about it at school today. Ask questions about the parts you don’t understand.
Or come learn with us Monday night.
Because September 17 shouldn’t simply remind us that 239 years ago a group of men gathered in Philadelphia and signed the Constitution.
It should remind us that every generation inherits the responsibility of understanding the republic that document created.
Happy Constitution Day!
So good Toni. Thank you!
Sent it to several today, including the Life Group that I just hosted in my home for Biblical Citizenship.
Also using this great article as a gentle reminder for your event coming up on Oct. 3 here in Spring Hill, TN. It’s the perfect opportunity to encourage everyone we know to reread the Constitution, and if not the whole thing, then at least the Preamble and the Bill of Rights. Certainly on this day. We must continually remind ourselves and everyone near and dear to read it, study it, know it, defend it, teach it, etc.