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Teaching With Documents:
Observing Constitution Day

Background

Larger Version

Detail from Page 1 of the U.S. Constitution

On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the last time to sign the document they had created. The National Archives and Records Administration celebrates this important day in our nation's history by presenting the following activities, lesson plans, and information. We encourage teachers and students at all levels to learn more about our Constitution and government.

Activities

Find out about the 39 delegates who signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787.
Explore in this simulation how the members of the Constitutional Convention might have felt as they gathered in Philadelphia's Independence Hall and began the arduous and memorable task of writing the United States Constitution.
Uncover the issues involved in the creation and ratification of the United States Constitution and the new government it established in this Teaching With Documents lesson on Delaware's ratification.
Following ratification, the next task was implementation. Analyze historic documents and determine the extent to which the Constitution provided for the reestablishment of the Navy.
Discover additional information about the Constitutional Convention and the ratification process and dozens of fascinating facts about the Constitution.
Learn about a teaching unit containing a set of 34 document reproductions related to the Constitution and a detailed Teacher's Guide, available for purchase from the National Archives and Records Administration.
See the online version of our popular U. S. Constitution Workshop.