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 Celebrate the Birthday of Our Government

On Sept. 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed by thirty-nine brave men who changed the course of history.  The Constitution advances the premises stated in the Declaration of Independence. A Chief Justice once said, "The Declaration is the promise, the Constitution, its fulfillment."  Celebrate the birthday of our government by reading the Constitution and learning about our Founding Fathers.  America's Founding Fathers by the National Archives features biographies of delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in May 1787. The 55 delegates had been sent by the 13 states to revise the Articles of Confederation, but they ended up drafting an entirely new plan of government. They ranged in age from 26-year-old Jonathan Dayton to 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin. Click to read the Constitution and the amendments 1-10 which constitute what is known as the Bill of Rights.  Discover the other changes and additions that have been made to the Constitution over the past 200+ years by reading Amendments 11-17.  Visit the charters of freedom in person at the National Archives Building in Washington D.C.