Constitution Day

September 17 has been designated as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787.

Four men from South Carolina signed the document that has become the longest-lived national constitution in the world. These men were John Rutledge, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Charles Pinckney and Pierce Butler. America's Founding Fathers website gives a brief biographical sketch of each man. Each one had a connection to Beaufort District.

According to the History Channel's webpages about the US Constitution: "The document that emerged from the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 was the product of a sense of urgency and of mission, solid preparation, and secret debate that allowed open-mindedness and compromise, and a body of delegates who in the aggregate possessed both a command of political philosophy and much practical experience under state constitutions and the Articles of Confederation." (http://www.history.com/topics/constitution, accessed 9/14/2010 6:50pm)

The National Archives has posted a web page full of great links to educational resources at http://www.archives.gov/fed-employees/constitution-day.html. Befriend the Constitution on Facebook. Explore the Constitution within the "Our Documents" online exhibit.

SC ETV is showcasing Charles Pinckney in their "Carolina Stories" series on September 23rd; a "Your Day" segment on the radio; and "The Big Picture," where a swearing in of new citizens occurs at the Charles Pinckney Historic Site.

To see what is available within the Beaufort County Library about this crucial document, click here for a bookbag I just created on "Founding Fathers."