The most inspiring of holidays grow out of a society’s history and culture, but modern governments are also prone to “manufacturing” holidays for ideological reasons.  Constitution Day is the latter type of holiday.  It has prompted no shortage of interesting academic programs and presentations, including the panel in the Law School on September 17, 2009.  But at the same time, there won’t be many public parades of Americans waving copies of the Constitution.

The road to Constitution Day began in the 1930s when William Randolph Hearst used his chain of newspapers to call for a holiday honoring naturalized American citizens.  Congress responded in 1940 by designating the third Sunday in May “I Am an American Day.”  Then, in 1952, President Harry Truman signed a bill changing the day to September 17 and the name to “Citizenship Day.”  In 2004, with the passage of an amendment to the spending bill sponsored by Senator Robert Byrd, the holiday was again renamed, this time to “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.”  Those interested in seeing what Congress took to be the purpose of the day, may consult 36 U.S.C. 106.