U.S. Constitution Day Marks Anniversary of 1787 Charter

September 17 marks Constitution Day, the anniversary of the 1787 signing of the United States Constitution by thirty-nine delegates in Philadelphia. The charter was ratified a year later when New Hampshire became the ninth state to approve it, fulfilling the requirement of Article VII. The first elections under the new framework were held in the fall of 1788, and the inaugural Congress convened on March 4, 1989, followed by the first presidential inauguration on April 30, 1789.

Since its adoption, the Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times through the procedures set out in Article V. Current officeholders continue to take oaths to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Historical figures have highlighted the document’s significance. In a note written after his 1860 election, Abraham Lincoln described the Declaration of Independence as an “apple of gold” and the Constitution as the “silver picture” that frames and protects it. He urged that both be safeguarded from damage. British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, on the centennial of the Constitution’s ratification, called it “the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.”

Commentators note that the Constitution faces extensive challenges today, prompting calls for renewed commitment to liberal constitutionalism and the reinforcement of institutions, laws, and norms that give the document practical effect.