History and Background
On September 17, 1787 the U.S. Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by thirty-nine delegates to the Constitutional Convention. Copies of the document were distributed to the original 13 states for ratification.
In 2004, Senator Robert Byrd successfully added an amendment to the federal spending bill mandating that educational institutions receiving federal funds offer some sort of educational programming on September 17th each year. The Indiana Supreme Court began offering Constitution Day programming in 2005 with a wide variety of activities inside courtrooms and classrooms around the state.
Read press release from 2023 »
View photos from 2023 Constitution Day outreach efforts »
Primary Source Documents
- U.S. Constitution
- Bill of Rights
- Indiana Constitution (current)
- 1851 Indiana Constitution (as originally written)
- 1816 Indiana Constitution
Other Sources
- Lessons using role play about the Declaration of Independence and Constitution Day from Court of Appeals Judge Leanna Weissmann
- Answering the Call for Jury Duty
- The who, what, when, where and how of state courts
- Informed Voters Project Public Service Announcement Video [featuring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor]
- Informed Voters Project Resources
- National Center for State Courts: Constitution Day Resources
- Bill of Rights Lesson Plan (Grades K-4)
- Bill of Rights Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8)
- Center for Civic Education: Constitution Day Lesson Plans for Every Grade Level
- Indiana's Constitutional Past [By Chief Justice Brent E. Dickson]
- Learn About the U.S. Constitution and More [Games, puzzles, and quizzes about the Constitution]
- National Archives: Teaching with Documents "Observing Constitution Day"
- National Archives: Teaching with Documents "U.S. Constitution Workshop"
- National Constitution Center: Constitution Day Resources
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt: Address on Constitution Day (1937)