Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the US Constitution by thirty-nine delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787.
Image: Signing of the Constitution by Howard Chandler Christy, 1940 (Architect of the Capitol)
The Institute’s curators were joined by Conroe Brookes from Hamilton and Kevin Cline, 2016 National History Teacher of the Year, to explore these rare documents, learn about their creation, take a close look at how the preamble changed between the first draft and the final copy, and what the Constitution says about voting.
Students will develop a rich understanding of the arguments in favor of and in opposition to the ratification of the US Constitution.
Professor James Oliver Horton (George Washington University) discussed how abolitionists viewed the Constitution as a slaveholders’ document.
Carol Berkin (The Graduate Center, City University of New York) defines the two camps and outlines why they disagreed and what strategies were used to persuade states to adopt the Constitution.
History Now, the online journal of the Gilder Lehrman Institute, features essays by the nation’s leading historians.
Full Issues
Essays
The Gilder Lehrman Institute has over eighty online exhibitions covering American history from the colonial era to the present day.
Each Spotlight on a document from the Gilder Lehrman Collection provides explanatory text, a transcript, and an image of the featured document.
These videos and resources provide overviews of key questions regarding the US Constitution.
Book Breaks is a free weekly public program where hosts interview scholars about their new books.
Inside the Vault highlights unique primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman Collection each month.
