Constitution Day commemorates the Sept. 17, 1787, signing of the United States Constitution. For more information about Constitution Day at NSU, contact Dr. Ric Dias at 605-626-7795 or ric.dias@northern.edu.
Events
Around Aberdeen all day, hundreds of U.S. flags will be displayed, courtesy of the Exchange Club. Across the Northern campus, students, faculty and staff will wear patriotic clothing, with workspaces decorated with a patriotic theme.
Also on campus, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Center, there will be military recruiting, voter registration, free copies of the Bill of Rights handed out, and other activities. The NSU Wolves Den will have special food.
Constitution Day is affiliated with Northern’s new Center for Public History and Civic Engagement. Located in Williams Library, the center encourages public interaction with history and history education while promoting greater civic knowledge of an active citizenry through programming, research and archival preservation. Read more about the center HERE.
The events on campus are free and open to the public.
Explore our Constitution
Visit the National Constitution Center site
National Constitution Center Exhibits' Virtual Tours
Interactive Quiz - How will your score measure up?
Transcript of the Constitution
Interactive Constitution - Explore the Constitution! Search by article, amendment or issue.
National Constitution Center Daily Blog
U.S. Constitution Fun Facts
- The oldest signer was Ben Franklin, who, at 81, needed help to put his pen to paper.
- The Constitution has been amended 27 times.
- George Washington and James Madison were the only two men to sign it who later went on to become president.
- Patrick Henry was chosen to attend the Constitutional Convention but did not because, as he famously said, he “smelt a rat.”
- Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution.
- Rhode Island was the last of the original 13 states to ratify the Constitution.
- Thirty-nine men signed the Constitution.
- The first 10 amendments to the Constitution were ratified together in 1791, and are called collectively the Bill of Rights.
- The youngest person to sign the Constitution, Jonathon Dayton of New Jersey, was just 26.
- The words “democracy" and "slavery” do not appear in the Constitution.
- James Madison is often referred to as the Father of the Constitution.