Constitution Day is celebrated on September 17, 2021.  The national holiday is observed, in the Palm Beaches and across the nation, as Constitution and Citizenship Day.  The day honors the document that guarantees Americans their essential rights. Since its ratification in 1787, the Constitution of the United States has served as the foundation for all laws in the United States.

The Founding Fathers outlined the Constitution carefully by allocating power between three branches of government. The Constitution outlines the government’s powers, the limitations on those powers, and the rights of citizens. The lawmakers wanted to ensure that the new government couldn’t abuse its power.

The Constitution calls for three branches of government with equal powers, creating a system commonly known as “checks and balances. The Constitution also outlines the responsibilities and powers of the judicial and executive branches, how the President is elected.

In 1940, Congress and the President passed a resolution creating “I Am an American Day,” observed on the third Sunday in May. In 1952, the holiday was renamed to “Constitution Day” and moved to September 17, the day in 1787 that the Constitution was signed. More than 50 years later in 2004, Congress once again changed the name of the holiday to Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.