By Stephen DeAngelis
On this date in 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed by 39 of the 55 delegates at the convention that drafted it. The Constitution was ratified a year later and became effectual in 1789. It’s longevity alone makes it a remarkable political document. Journalist David Keene reports, “Various nations have written and adopted more than 900 constitutions since 1789. India’s is perhaps the longest at something like 146,000 words, and most don’t hold up very well. The average life of a constitution is around 19 years, which in itself makes ours unique.”[1] It’s longevity is even more surprising considering that the document was filled with compromises. As Keene notes, “The compromises that led to the adoption of the Constitution were controversial at the time they were struck. Those involving slavery are the most discussed today, but just as serious were those involving the nature and power of the new nation’s chief executive and the balance between the power of the new national government and the states calling it into being. The Bill of Rights was added as a condition of ratification by those who believed it essential that certain fundamental rights be enumerated as sacrosanct. The debates over ratification were contentious, but once ratified, the Constitution established the framework that allowed the new nation to grow and prosper as the freest nation in history.”
Given its longevity and success, it is only fitting that a day is set aside to honor the Constitution. But how did Constitution Day and Citizenship Day become intertwined? Journalist Scott Bomboy reports that efforts to celebrate the Constitution go back as far as the First World War while suggestions to create a Citizenship Day began just prior to the Second World War. He reports, “In the late 1930s, a separate effort led to what later became Citizenship Day. Publisher William Randolph Hearst promoted the idea of a new holiday called ‘I Am an American Day,’ after his newspapers covered several local observances. In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a joint congressional resolution proclaiming the celebration. According to the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the event was ‘a day to honor those whose voluntary allegiance to the United States has given them citizenship through naturalization, and those who have most recently come into responsible citizenship by reaching maturity.’”[2] He adds, “The event was observed on the third Sunday in May, and perhaps the biggest event occurred on May 21, 1944. A crowd of 1.5 million people gathered in New York’s Central Park — including 110,000 new citizens — to listen to Judge Learned Hand speak about the meaning of freedom and liberty.”
The two celebrations came together after the Second World War. On 25 July 1952, President Harry S. Truman signed a proclamation that declared in part: “Whereas by a joint resolution approved February 29, 1952 (Public law 261, 82d Congress), the Congress of the United States has designated the 17th day of September of each year as Citizenship Day in commemoration of the formation and signing on September 17, 1787, of the Constitution of the United States and in recognition of all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have attained the full status of citizenship.”[3] S. Deborah Kang, the John L. Nau III Associate Professor of the History and Principles of Democracy at the University of Virginia, reports, “During his first Citizenship Day speech on Sept. 17, 1952, President Truman warmly greeted the immigrants attending the annual meeting of the National Conference on Citizenship in Washington, D.C. Later that day, they would take the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony, shedding their status as immigrants to become U.S. citizens. In commemoration of this momentous event, Truman articulated a bold view of American citizenship, one that relinquished nationalistic animosities and racial prejudices and embraced the principles of ‘tolerance, friendship and equality.’ ‘We welcome you,’ Truman declared, ‘not to a narrow nationalism but to a great community based on a set of universal ideals.’”[4]
In addition to the shared date on which they are celebrated, another obvious connection between Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is the oath of allegiance that each naturalized citizen takes before become a citizen. The oath states, ““I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”
Many people, on both sides of the political spectrum, believe that the Constitution is under attack and may not survive another 237 years. Columnist and former newspaper owner Rick Morain asks, “Are American political institutions strong enough to withstand the battering they’re taking today from power-hungry groups and authoritarian-driven individuals?”[5] His answer, “I think so — but I’m not as certain as I used to be.” Morain continues, “The genius of the American Constitution lies in its diffusion of power among the institutions it established: the states vs. the federal government, the executive branch vs. the legislative branch vs. the judicial branch, civilian control over the military, the individual freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights — all those provisions seek to prevent the amassing of power in a single individual or subgroup. … Despite the original voting franchise limitations on individuals, the Constitution did create a balance among government institutions that so far has succeeded to forestall autocracy in America, and has prevented any one center of power from subjugating the others.”
Morain concludes, “The Constitution’s provisions for balance and dispersion of power have prevailed. But it’s increasingly difficult to foresee whether that success can continue. Technology, and the wealth that can wield it, today challenge the Constitutional fortress. Unscrupulous individuals and groups can trumpet falsehoods nationwide that find too ready a reception among gullible True Believers reluctant to ask for proof. Instant communication to millions of smart phones, computers, and TV sets outstrips the ability, and too often the desire, of voters to weigh the data for its truth content. … As always, it is up to the American people to decide if the Constitution’s strength will continue to prevail. When Ben Franklin was asked, after the Founders had done their work in Philadelphia in 1787, what they had created, he replied, ‘A republic, if you can keep it.’ That was the question and the answer then. It still is.” I agree with Morain that it is up to citizens of this great country to defend the Constitution. Which is why a day celebrating both the Constitution and citizenship seems more appropriate than ever.
As citizens we need to pull together rather than be pulled apart. John Paul Lederach, professor emeritus of international peacebuilding at the University of Notre Dame, believes we can do just that. He writes, “With our current divides, many people feel forced into choosing sides. We pull back from relationships where even a hint of political difference exists. We consider who said something and whom they associate with to judge the merit of what they said. We talk a lot about those we don’t like. We rarely talk with them. To feel safer, we engage only with people who agree with us. … We need to reach beyond our isolated bubbles. … We have to rehumanize our adversaries. We must have the courage to confront dehumanizing language and behavior, especially when it comes from within our closest circles. … Finally, we need to stick with it. We can’t just pull away when difficult issues emerge. We must engage on policy but also acknowledge deep-seated fears, historic wrongs and identity differences.” Today would be a great day to start those conversations.
Footnotes
[1] David Keene, “Preserving the ‘genius’ of the Constitution,” The Washington Times, 12 September 2016.
[2] Scott Bomboy, “The Story of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day,” National Constitution Center Blog, 14 September 2023.
[3] Harry S. Truman, “Proclamation 2984—Citizenship Day, 1952,” The American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara.
[4] S. Deborah Kang, “The History of Citizenship Day Is a Reminder That Being an American Has Always Been Complicated,” Time Magazine, 17 September 2019.
[5] Rick Morain, “The genius of the Constitution,” Storm Lake Times Pilot, 4 May 2022.
[6] John Paul Lederach, “A recipe for cooling down American politics,” The Washington Post, 15 August 2024.
