Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the United States Constitution by thirty-nine delegates to the Constitutional Convention (representing 12 states) on September 17, 1787. Constitution Day is an American federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and those who have become United States citizens.
Iowa schools first recognized Constitution Day in 1911. In 1917, the Sons of the American Revolution formed a committee to promote Constitution Day. The committee would include members such as Calvin Coolidge, John D. Rockefeller, and General John Pershing. The law establishing the present holiday was created in 2004 with the passage of an amendment by Senator Robert Byrd. Before this law was enacted, the holiday was known as "Citizenship Day". In addition to renaming the holiday "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day," the act mandates that all publicly funded educational institutions, and all federal agencies, provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution on that day.