Library: Constitution Day &amp; Citizenship Day: September 17: Welcome

The Document

The U.S. Constitution

PREAMBLE

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure 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.

Learn more about Constitution Day at the Law Library of Congress.

The Constitution

GETTING STARTED: These sources give foundational knowledge about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The Preamble - School House Rock
[music video] This short video puts the Preamble and American history to music to help learn about the constitution.
Constitution Hall Pass
[videos] Discussing various topics related to the U.S. Constitution; accompanied by live-chat sessions curated by the National Constitution Center.

IN CONTEXT: These sources analyze the constitution throughout history and today.

The Color of Justice
Call Number: [streaming video]
This historical film - a dramatization combined with archival footage and photos - examines race, the Constitution, and desegregation over time. Uses the March 3, 1970, incident at Lamar High School in Lamar, South Carolina, where a group of white parents rioted against desegregation, as a backdrop for the discussion.
RBG
Call Number: [streaming video]
RBG is a revelatory documentary exploring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's exceptional life and career from Betsy West and Julie Cohen.

Becoming a U.S. Citizen

Constitution Day recognizes those who were born and those who have become naturalized U.S. citizens. Here are some resources about the process.

How to Become a Citizen
Introductory information and links to resources for becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen. Available in Spanish.
SCC Immigrant and Refugee Resources
A collection of resources outside Seattle Colleges that serve immigrant and refugees in the Northwest.

Citizenship and Civic Responsibilities
Call Number: [streaming video]
Presents various meanings of American citizenship and the historical forces that have shaped it, with energetic visuals, expert interviews, and examples from past political struggles.
Citizen USA: a 50 State Road Trip
Call Number: [streaming video]
Uplifting and illuminating look at the naturalization process in America. Intersperses stories of newly naturalized citizens with interviews from notable first-generation Americans.

Exhibits & Archives

Centuries of Citizenship
Timeline entries tell the evolving story of the U.S. Constitution and the continuing role that it plays in our lives.
Charters of Freedom
Explore the three documents that have secured the rights of the American people and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States.
Creating the United States Constitution
This Library of Congress exhibition demonstrates that the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are living instruments that are central to the evolution of the United States.
Interactive Constitution
The National Constitution Center unites America’s leading scholars from diverse legal and philosophical perspectives to explore the text, history, and meaning of the U.S. Constitution.
U.S. Constitution (1787)
View the image and transcript of the Constitution from OurDocuments.gov.

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Constitution Day & Citizenship Day: September 17