BILL OF RIGHTS DAY

United States Bill of Rights

Every year on September 17th, schools and public institutions all over the United States celebrate National Constitution Day to reflect on and celebrate the day in 1787 when the final draft of the Constitution was signed. Fewer Americans are aware that an official day has been designated to acknowledge the importance of the Bill of Rights. December 15th is the official day set aside as Bill of Rights Day - a day to remember what that document promises and the freedoms it extends to all Americans.

Bill of Rights Day first became a federal day of observance on November 27th, 1941 when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt designated December 15th as a "day to be remembered and observed by those institutions of a democratic people which owe their very existence to the guarantees of the Bill of Rights." On that day in 1791, the first Congress of the United States ratified the Bill of Rights, a document which spelled out some of the essential freedoms and rights of individual citizens of the United States. Some delegates to the Constitution convention had feared that the core document left too many gaps for the government to trespass on individual liberty. The Bill of Rights, adopted as the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, firmly stated some of the central rights of all citizens: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to a fair trial, and others.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

The Bill of Rights has been fundamental throughout U.S. history, but it must have felt particularly urgent in 1941. Before FDR issued his official resolution, a Joint Resolution of Congress in August of 1941 authorized and requested a national Bill of Rights Day. World War II had been gaining momentum since its onset in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. The tide of fascism was sweeping through Europe as Hitler's Nazi Party threatened to spread totalitarianism throughout the world. In response, FDR reiterated the most important freedoms the United States held dear in a classic speech to Congress on January 6, 1941. Known as the "Four Freedoms" speech, FDR meant to send a clear message to the world that the U.S. held firm to principles of freedom and democracy. The four freedoms he outlined were 1) freedom of speech 2) freedom of worship 3) freedom from want and economic need and 4) freedom from fear.

Following on the heels of the "Four Freedoms" speech, FDR and Congress felt it was important to remind all Americans of the centrality of the Bill of Rights. In a powerful proclamation issued on November 27th, 1941, FDR announced that December 15th should be observed each year as Bill of Rights Day. On this day, he urged all Americans to display the flag and organize observances to remember the freedoms The Bill of Rights promised. He warned Americans not to take these freedoms for granted, or to forget the price paid to achieve them. He noted that during these years, Americans who had "seen these privileges lost in other continents and other countries can now appreciate their meaning to those people who enjoyed them once and now no longer can" and that "we have come to a clearer conception of their worth to us."

The History Channel and the National Archives have joined together on the Citizenship Quiz initiative. The Citizenship Quiz challenges all people to read The Bill of Rights and other key documents which form the building blocks of American government. Whether the Bill of Rights, the stars and stripes, or the structure of the states, try to ace the Citizenship Quiz!

For more background information on the Bill of Rights, visit the "Charters of Freedom" website of the National Archives.