Embassy of the United States

September 17 is Constitution Day, commemorating the day in 1787 when the Founding Fathers signed one of America’s most important documents.
The Constitution of the United States of America
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." — Preamble to the Constitution
The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. Empowered with the sovereign authority of the people by the framers and the consent of the legislatures of the states, it is the source of all government powers, and also provides important limitations on the government that protect the fundamental rights of United States citizens.
Read the full text of the Constitution.
- Amendments 1-10                - Amendments 11-27       Amendments 1-10 constitute what is known as the Bill of Rights.  Discover the other changes and additions that have been made to the Constitution over the past 200+ years.
America’s Founding Fathers
Delegates to the Constitutional Convention - 55 delegates attended the Constitutional Convention sessions, but only 39 actually signed the Constitution. The delegates ranged in age from Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, to Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, who was so infirm that he had to be carried to sessions in a sedan chair.  More…
IIP Publication
About America: The Constitution of the United States of America With Explanatory Notes English This illustrated publication includes the complete text of the U.S. Constitution (preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments), as well an updated introduction and explanatory notes by J.W. Peltason, author of Understanding the Constitution and Government by the People.(July 2004)
Podcast
Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor discusses the Constitution’s origins. Download Now (MP3) Read Transcript
Webcast
The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution. Linda R. Monk discussed her book, The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution (Hyperion, 2003), at the Library of Congress.