Alexander Hamilton is a trending founding father–joining the ranks of George Washington, John Adams, and James Madison. Today is the day to celebrate the fruits of founding fathers. It’s Constitution Day!

Page 1 of the Constitution, available for viewing at http://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/downloads

The United States celebrates Constitution Day and Citizenship Day on September 17. See 36 U.S.C. 106.  The observance is to “commemorate the formation and signing on September 17, 1787, of the Constitution.” 36 U.S.C. 106(b). Prior to the official celebration, Constitution Day, Inc., promoted the commemoration.

Not only can you use your legal research tools to locate the law–either the codified statute or the Public Law–that contains the observance and information about its subsequent amendments, but you can also find cases that mention Constitution Day.

If you would like to learn more about the history of Constitution Day, consider consulting Professor Garfield’s article, “What Should We Celebrate on Constitution Day?”

One of my favorite resources for researching the constitution is provided by the U.S. Government Publishing Office: The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation. A comprehensive treatise–covering the Constitution from start to finish–includes references to almost 6000 cases. If you are researching a constitutional issue and are looking for a great starting place, this is a very helpful research tool.

Of course, the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) also provides excellent information about the founding documents–the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, which are available for viewing in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum.