Constitution Day: Home

Moorpark College is celebrating Constitution and Citizenship Day on Sept. 17, 2024
"Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is observed each year on September 17 to commemorate the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787, and “recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.”

"Constitution and Citizenship Day may not be the best known or widely advertised American holiday.  Constitution Day calls for the recognition of the document created in 1787 on which the system of government of United States of America was founded. In 1952, President Harry Truman moved “I Am An American Day” to join Constitution Day on September 17th to encourage Americans to reflect on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and what it means to be a U.S. citizen. These two holidays now comprise Constitution Week that falls between September 17th and September 23rd.

As groundbreaking as the American Constitution was at its inception, it has always relied on, as Abraham Lincoln stated, “the better angels of our nature” to amend and sustain it.  America grows, evolves and becomes more enlightened every day.  America in 1787 couldn’t have conceived of the debates we engage in today on citizenship for immigrants and Dreamers, women’s right to reproductive health care, a changing global climate, the need for constitutional protections that assure inclusion and equity for diverse populations and preservation of the right for people to love whom they choose to love.  And even as we cling to the structure and stability of a document that was written before any of us were born, we rely on the acknowledgement of our founders that changes would need to be made over time.   

This year Constitution and Citizenship Day needs to be recognized, celebrated and, most importantly, defended. This is not a day of remembrance that we can afford to lose. If we want to keep it on our calendars, we must keep its promises in our hearts and minds." Moorpark Office of Student Learning"