Each year, to celebrate that day the 55 men of the Constitutional Convention gathered in Philadelphia and signed America’s most important living document, the University of California observes Constitution Day.
Sept. 17 is that anniversary, and UC Merced joins with sister campuses and organizations and institutions all around the country to honor that day.
In 2005, a federal law was enacted that requires all schools that receive federal funds to hold an educational program on the United States Constitution every year on Constitution Day.
Because Fall term begins later than Sept. 17 at many UC campuses, the UC Office of the President has developed a
Web siteto provide people with more information about our nation’s founding document.
This Web-based learning experience will take readers through a variety of sites, including the National Archives, and will teach visitors about such topics as the Constitution’s drafting and ratification; the convention delegates themselves; and Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Papers. There’s a copy of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and Amendments 11-27, as well as a constitutional Q&A on the site.
I hope further that this brief exploration will spark your curiosity and - whatever your academic interest, whatever your country of citizenship or your political affiliation - broaden your knowledge of, and your appreciation for, this historically important document, said Wyatt R. Hume, provost and executive vice president of the University of California.
