September 17th is Constitution and Citizenship Day. We celebrate this day because of the signing of the Constitution on September 17th, 1787, during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It wasn't until 1790 that all the states were ratified. This day marks our country's birthday. Our nation's birthday is on July 4th because the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.
September 17th used to be called "I Am an American Day" in 1940. Congress created the day to celebrate American citizenship, which was held on the third Sunday in May. Then, in 1952, Congress renamed the holiday to "Citizenship Day" and moved it to September 17th. Congress wanted to make it easier to teach the important dates that are so close to Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Armed Forces Day. Then, the latest change to date occurred in 2004, when Senator Robert Byrd sponsored a bill that changed the name to "Constitution Day."
By Mylee Dorris