New Federal Law Gives the US Constitution the Attention It Deserves
July 4, 1776, February 22, 1732, December 16, 1773, September 17, 1787…These are a few of the dates important in the founding of the United States. While we celebrate July 4th, and Washington's birthday has been incorporated into President's Day, the date of the signing of the U.S. Constitution has not been as widely recognized. That is changing due to a
law passed in late 2004 that stipulates that all educational institutions that receive Federal funding need to observe Constitution Day on September 17th. Both the
Library of Congress and the
National Archives have extensive online exhibits of original documents on their websites. The
Government Printing Office GPO Access site also features
interpretations of the Constitution by the Supreme Court, as well as the
law that establishes Constitution Day and the
regulations that implement that law. For more government information, visit the
UNH Library Government Documents Department.
And what about December 16th? That's the date of the Boston Tea Party.
