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 and educational institutions across the county celebrate this day in our nation’s history with resources and online activities about the founding of the country. More info: Constitution Workshop | National Archives and Calendar of Events | National Archives
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
—Preamble to the United States Constitution
U.S. Constitution image by giftlegacy via iStock by Getty Images
Constitution Day at University of Hawaiʻi
Constitution Day commemorates the day the U.S. Constitution was signed – September 17, 1787. Each year educational institutions that receive federal funding are required to host educational programming for their students focused on the U.S. Constitution. While each campus may provide additional programming, the University of Hawaiʻi (UH) System provides resources for all UH students, including a downloadable copy of both the U.S. Constitution and the Hawai‘i State Constitution: The Constitution of the United States of America (with amendments) (hawaii.edu)
Each year, September 17 is celebrated as Constitution Day. On this day, we nationally commemorate the document that has guided our country since its ratification on September 17, 1787. In fact, the United States Constitution is the longest living written charter of government still operating in the world today. On this Constitution Day, we can take a moment to reflect upon the extraordinary longevity of the words and concepts that have sculpted our nation over the past 234 years. Our enduring reliance on the Constitution serves as a guide amidst racial strife, economic turmoil, social upheaval, political chaos, global war, and civil war. Yet, it is the fundamental ability of the Constitution to evolve that keeps it relevant and alive, as was profoundly noted by the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, “We will see that the true miracle was not the birth of the Constitution, but its life, a life nurtured through two turbulent centuries of our own making, and a life embodying much good fortune that was not.”
—Thurgood Marshall, “Reflections on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution,” 101 Harvard Law Review 1 (1987).
Constitution Day at UH Hilo
The University of Hawaiʻi Hilo campus celebrates with a Weeklong Celebration of the Constitution. Organized by several departments. More info: The 2022 Constitution Day Event: Tabling at Hilo Campus Center – Event Details (hawaii.edu)
- September 12-16, 2022, 9am – 9pm (closes at 4pm on Friday). Mookini Library. Library Exhibition: Display of the materials on the U.S. Constitution, democracy, and civic engagement.
- September 15-16, 2022, 11am – 2pm. Campus Center Plaza. Students are encouraged to vote, share thoughts, learn about civic organizations, and test their knowledge on the U.S. Constitution and Founding Fathers
- View a complete schedule of events for the week at Constitution Day (hawaii.edu).
More info: Constitution Day | University of Hawaii System
multiple locations
