Here’s one of the most famous paintings in the U.S. Capitol that portrays 

September 17th, 1787 and the major players, including George Washington

Celebrate the signing of the Constitution and the freedoms we enjoy as Americans

"Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote:" The WWII Roots of the 26th Amendment

 (which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18)

'It's time to clear the path to equality': Senate revisits Equal Rights Amendment after 40 years

Senate fails to advance Equal Rights Amendment resolution

Today honors America’s founding document – the 

“It is at all times difficult to draw with precision the line between those rights which must be surrendered, and those which may be preserved ...”

George Washington submitting the final draft of the Constitution to the Continental Congress, Sept. 17, 1787. He highlighted the challenge of bringing states together with different 

 and the spirit of friendship for the final product.

 55 delegates attended the Convention, but only 39 signed.

 Written during four-month Convention (May 25 – 

~ divided power between the states with a federal government with executive, judicial, & legislative branches (Library of Congress).

 Congress moved the date to Sept. 17th, naming it “

 Congress designated Sept. 17th *BOTH* “

” to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution and 

“recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.”

The first ten amendments of the Constitution are known as the the 

 – most recently in 1992, adding one of the original amendments that didn’t make the cut in 1791 regarding federal lawmaker pay.

. In 1933, the 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment, putting an end to Prohibition.

THE NEXT AMENDMENT? In 2023, the Senate held a hearing on the Equal Rights Amendment – the first in the Senate in since 1984. The amendment, passed by Congress in 1972, would have made gender equality a fundamental right, but ultimately, it has not been added to the Constitution. See our source page to learn more.

On This Day

On This Day: U.S. Constitution Signed 

Library of Congress, Today in History: U.S. Constitution 

Constitution of the United States

Here’s one of the most famous paintings in the U.S. Capi