We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
The United States Constitution is perhaps the most well known document from the history of the United States, having laid the foundation of the new republic of the United States and remains the most important document to the republic. Over the years it has been amended a total of twenty-seven times with the first ten comprising the Bill of Rights which ratified in 1791, with the latest one being ratified in 1992, but since then has remained static. In honor of the most important document of the land Constitution day has been officially celebrated on September 17th since 2004, with the dual observance of Citizenship Day as well.
Constitution Day means something different for everyone, whether it's celebrating the cementing of “the great experiment” into the nation we know today, a celebration of the guaranteed universal rights listed in the Bill of Rights, or acknowledging the revolutionary Founding Fathers of our country who penned the document. Regardless of how you celebrate, the importance and centrality of the document is universally agreed upon to be the foundation of the rights that Americans enjoy and celebrate year by year.
The U.S. Constitution at the National Archives
Go inside the vaults to see rarely displayed documents relating to the formation of the Constitution, including George Washington’s printed copy with his annotations, the final printed text, and Pennsylvania’s ratified copy.
"Amending America" Exhibit
Take a virtual tour of our "Amending America" exhibit, which highlights the remarkably American story of how we have amended, or attempted to amend, the Constitution in order to form a nation that more closely mirrors our ideals.
For more information click here.
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