CONSTITUTION DAY
Written in 1787,
ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789, the
United
States Constitution
The United States enjoys a representative form of government, shaped by three separate branches as established in the Constitution: • Article I A system of checks and balances, which the Constitution also sets forth, limits the powers of each branch. Article I of the Constitution created and defined the United States Congress, granting to the two houses of the legislative branch such powers as the ability to collect taxes, coin money, raise and support an army, declare war, establish post offices, create patent laws, and establish a federal judicial system. It gave to the Senate the exclusive right to provide advice and consent to the president on treaties and nominations, and the sole power to try and remove from office an impeached governmental official. More than two centuries after its ratification, the United States Constitution remains a vital and living document, strengthened by amendments, serving as both guide and protector of U.S. citizens and their elected officials. It has survived civil war, economic depressions, assassinations, and even terrorist attacks, to remain a source of wisdom and inspiration. The creation of the U.S. Constitution depended upon the knowledge, experience and dedication of its framers, just as its endurance depends upon the knowledge and experience of each succeeding generation of Americans. For this reason, it is important for us to learn and understand the governing principles of our nation, set forth in the Constitution. To encourage all
Americans to learn more about the Constitution, Congress in
1956 established Constitution Week, to begin each year on
September 17th, the date in 1787 when delegates to the
Convention signed the Constitution. In 2004, Senator Robert
C. Byrd of West Virginia included key provisions in the
Consolidated Appropriations Act of Fiscal Year 2005
designating September 17th of each year as Constitution Day
and requiring public schools and governmental offices to
provide educational programs to promote a
better understanding of the
Constitution
Each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year is required to hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17, of such year for the students served by the educational institution. This posting is intended to remind affected educational institutions of this responsibility and to provide some resources for them to use in developing their program. To assist in planning Constitution Day programs, we are pleased to provide links to Federal Web sites that contain materials that can be publicly accessed for general use or for use as teaching materials in the classroom. The Department of
Education maintains a Web site for finding teaching
resources across the Federal government. It is called FREE
and can be found at: free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=19
Constitution Resources We also encourage
participants to visit The National History Education
Clearinghouse (NHEC) Web site at www.teachinghistory.org
In addition, we refer
you to the National Archives and Records Administration's
Web site, www.archives.gov
Celebrate Constitution Day Thank you for your
interest in Constitution Day and these resources. If you
have any questions regarding Constitution Day and
Citizenship Day, please contact Tony Fowler at (202)
401-3673 or Anthony.Fowler@ed.gov.
FR Doc 05-10355 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Notice of
Implementation of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day on
September 17 of Each Year SUMMARY: The Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement announces that, pursuant to legislation passed by Congress, educational institutions receiving Federal funding are required to hold an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution on September 17 of each year. This notice implements this provision as it applies to educational institutions receiving Federal funding from the Department. FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT: Alex Stein, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W218, Washington,
DC 20202-5910. Telephone: (202) 205-9085 or via Internet:
constitutionday@ed.gov
(has permanent fatal errors). Try: Alex.Stein@ed.gov
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339. Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact person listed above. Electronic Access to
This Document: You may view this document, as well as all
other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on
the Internet at the following site: www.ed.gov/news/fedregister
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530. Note: The official
version of this document is the document published in the
Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official
edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice informs educational institutions receiving Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education (Department) of a new statutory requirement for implementation of an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution, on a date designated by statute as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day ("Constitution Day''). This Congressional initiative is authorized by Section 111 of Division J of Pub. L. 108-447, the ``Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005,'' Dec. 8, 2004; 118 Stat. 2809, 3344-45 (Section 111). The Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement (Assistant Deputy Secretary) takes this action in order to implement this provision as it applies to educational institutions receiving Federal funding from the Department. Section 111(b) states ``[e]ach educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution.'' For purposes of the Department's implementation of this requirement, ``educational institutions'' includes but is not limited to ``local educational agencies'' and ``institutions of higher education'' receiving Federal funding from the Department. Section 111 applies to all educational institutions receiving Federal funding, not only those receiving Federal funding from the Department. However, the Department's authority only extends to those educational institutions receiving funding from the Department, and consequently the Department can only regulate with regard to those institutions. Section 111 requires that Constitution Day be held on September 17 of each year, commemorating the September 17, 1787 signing of the Constitution. However, when September 17 falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, Constitution Day shall be held during the preceding or following week. Section 111 does not authorize funds to carry out this requirement, and Section 111(d) indicates that this section shall apply ``without fiscal year limitation.'' Accordingly, the Assistant Deputy Secretary intends that this notice pertain to this fiscal year and all subsequent years. Some informational resources pertaining to the Constitution are listed below. In addition to these, the Department is aware that there may be other public and private resources available that may be helpful to educational institutions in implementing Constitution Day. While the Department does not endorse any particular program or Web site, this information is provided because it may be of use to educational institutions developing their Constitution Day programs. One of the Library of
Congress' repositories for Constitutional documents and
information may be accessed at: memory.loc.gov/ammem/bdsds/bdsdhome.html
The National Archives
also has a Web site with a scan of the U.S. Constitution
available online at: www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/charters/constitution.html
In addition, the
National Archives has a nationwide network of research
facilities, including presidential libraries that welcome
students as young as 14 years of age. Information about the
facilities (by region and state) can be located online at:
www.archives.gov/facilities/index.html
In addition to the
resources mentioned above, it is our understanding that the
U.S. Office of Personnel Management will be making available
to all Federal agencies, information to help train and
educate Federal employees on the Constitution and, in
particular, its relationship to the Oath of Office Federal
employees take. This information will be posted shortly on
the OPM Web site, at: www.opm.gov/
We expect that educational institutions may find this material useful in planning their Constitution Day activities. Electronic Access to
This Document: You may view this document, as well as all
other Department of Education documents published in the
Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format
(PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
www.ed.gov/news/fedregister
To use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530. Note: The official
version of this document is the document published in the
Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official
edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html
Dated: May 19, 2005
In 2005, Congress
established September 17 as Constitution Day. As schools,
federal and state agencies, and others that receive federal
funding are required to provide educational programs related
to the United States Constitution on that day. The Federal
Register Notice of Implementation is available at
www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2005-2/052405b.html
Annenberg Media
Classroom Law Project “Visitor from
Outer Space”: Great with all age groups. The U.S. is
overtaken by space aliens and learners are asked to ponder
which rights are most important. www.classroomlaw.org/files/posts-pages/resources/lesson_plans/constitution_day_lesson.pdf
Council of State Social Studies Specialists (CS4) (See below) This links to another
large list of resources. www.cs4online.org/cs4weblinks/constitutionday.html
Bill of Rights Institute The Bill of Rights
Institute has developed materials to help students and other
observers understand the significance of the U.S.
Constitution in observance of Constitution Day. Free
materials are available to download from the web site. There
are Constitution Day lessons for middle school and high
school as well as a Constitution Cube lesson with activities
for all levels. "Champions of Freedom" is a middle school
activity that includes images of the Founding Fathers.
www.BillofRightsInstitute.org/ConstitutionDay
Center for Civic Education The Center for Civic Education has lesson topics for all grade levels:
Constitutional Rights Foundation The Constitutional
Rights Foundation provides resources to educate young people
about the responsibilities of "civic participation in a
democratic society." Among the resources are lessons with
the following titles: "A Visitor for Outer Space
(V.O.I.C.E.)," "Diversity and Equality (The Challenge of
Diversity)," "The Constitution and Governance (The
Challenges of Governance)," "The Tired King (Adventures in
Law and History, Vol. II)" and other titles.
www.crf-usa.org/constitution-day
Dirksen Congressional Center The Dirksen
Congressional Center promotes an understanding of the U.S.
Congress and its leaders through archives, research and
educational programs. On the Historical Documents page under
"Constitution" are a number of links to other resources.
www.dirksencongressionalcenter.org
First Amendment Center The First Amendment
Center provided information about the First Amendment
freedoms to protect and preserve the First Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution. The center is housed at Vanderbilt
University in Nashville, Tennessee and Arlington, Virginia.
Materials are organized according to the five freedoms in
the First Amendment. Lesson plans are also included.
www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?item=about_fac
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History The Gilder Lehrman
Institute has a module on the U.S. Constitution under "For
Teachers and Students." Resources include primary sources, a
bibliography of books, films and additional web sites.
Lesson plans illustrate how to put all of the resources
together. www.gilderlehrman.org
History Channel "This Day in History"
for September 17 provides information about the U.S.
Constitution. www.historychannel.com
Law Focused Education, Inc. The Law Focused
Education, Inc. web site has activities for students, lesson
plans and other materials for teachers to use in planning
for Constitution Day. There is a weekly Constitution quiz, a
Constitution game, Preamble Scramble and Branches of the
Federal Government among several interactive activities.
texaslre.org
Liberty Day Liberty Day is a
nonprofit organization dedicated to education youth about
the basics of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of
Independence and to distributing copies of those document to
the country’s fifth graders. They also provide a
Complete Education Resource for teachers on the
Constitution. The Resource includes a Teacher’s Packet
containing a lesson plan, two evaluation forms, and
multiple-choice pre- and post-tests. Also included are
copies of the documents and a set of 24 Q&A flashcards
on the contents of the Constitution. For more information,
go to the web site www.LibertyDay.org
National Archives The National Archives
Building in Washington, D. C. houses the handwritten copy of
the U.S. Constitution. An article included on the web site
entitled "A More Perfect Union" provides details of the
Constitutional Convention and the process for ratifying the
U.S. Constitution. Interesting facts about the U.S.
Constitution are included in "Questions and Answers
Pertaining to the Constitution." These resources are
available on the Constitution web page. www.archives.gov
National Constitution Center The National
Constitution Center is dedicated to increasing public
understanding of the U.S. Constitution. Their resources
include a toolkit for a group of people to read the
Constitution aloud and lesson plans and other resources. The
teacher resources were updated on August 17 and 18, 2006.
The first web address is for the home page for the National
Constitution Center. The second web address is for
Constitution Day activities. The third web address links to
the "America Reads the Constitution" tool kit.
www.constitutioncenter.org Public Broadcasting Service The Public
Broadcasting Service (PBS) web site has at least thirty-five
lessons and other activities relating to the U.S.
Constitution. One lesson for high school is entitled "Why
Celebrate Constitution Day?" Most of the lessons appear to
be for high school and middle school classes.
www.pbs.org
U.S. Courts The U.S. Courts web
site has discussion topics in one-page handouts, fast facts,
interactive games, sixth amendment activities and court
simulations. www.uscourts.gov
Constitution Day, Inc. We the People LIVE: A Free Constitution Day Webcast, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt At the Newseum in
Washington, D.C., on Sept. 17, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
& HISTORY will host a live, 45-minute program with a
series of readings, narrative, and question-and-answer
sessions to help students understand the 223-year-old U.S.
Constitution. (Editor's
note: This was in 2010. We haven't confirmed if it will
happen in 2011 as well.)
Source:
www.cs4online.org/cs4weblinks/constitutionday.html
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is the world's longest surviving written charter of
government. Its first three words –– "We the
People" –– affirm that the government of the
United States exists to serve its citizens. For over two
centuries the