September 17^th is Constitution Day, commemorating the day in 1787 when, at the end of a long hot summer of discussion, debate and deliberation, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed America’s most important document. George Washington, on behalf of the Convention, transmitted the proposed Constitution to the Congress assembled under the Articles of Confederation. Eleven days later, the Congress by unanimous resolution passed the proposal on to conventions of delegates to be chosen in each state. It was in these state conventions that the Constitution was thoroughly discussed, debated and eventually ratified.

The United States Constitution is the oldest written national constitution still in operation, and many of the nations that have established themselves in the centuries since have turned to this document as a model for their own constitutions. As a document that defines the structure of our federal government and delineates the rights of the states within the union, and of individual citizens within the nation, the Constitution has become a symbol to Americans and to the world of our political principles and the democratic way of life that flows from them. (Source: EDSITEment!)

See America's Founding Documents at the National Archives

The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.

George Washington

Additional Resources

• The Bill of Rights Institute 
• The Center for Civic Education 
• Civics Renewal Network
• Library of Congress
• Constitution Day: The National Archives 
• National Constitution Center
• EDSITEment! at NEH: Commemorating Constitution Day
• EDSITEment! at NEH: A Day for the Constitution
• Teaching American History at Ashland University: The Constitutional Convention
• Teaching American History at Ashland University: Teacher Resources for Constitution Day
• Census Bureau
• National Center for State Courts
• United States Courts

Our complete video library can be found on our YouTube channel, American History Videos.