Honoring the 230th Anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution and recognizing September 17th as Constitution Day in the City of Philadelphia.

WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has been at the center of both American Political History and American History since 1682; and

WHEREAS, Beginning on May 25, 1787, and continuing throughout a long and hot summer, delegates from the original states were once again called to debate changes to the Articles of Confederation; and

WHEREAS, Those delegates, who would become known as the “Framers of the Constitution,” and among them our “Founding Fathers” included well documented leaders such as James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Rutledge, Ben Franklin, and George Washington; and

WHEREAS, Upon arrival to Philadelphia, it was quickly decided that the Articles of Confederation were beyond repair, and the delegates were faced with the responsibility of forming a new national government; and

WHEREAS, After much debate, the Constitution was signed at Independence Hall on September 17, 1787, and quickly ratified by the states; and

WHEREAS, 2017 marks the 100th Anniversary in which the Sons of the American Revolution formed a committee to promote the importance of “Constitution Day,” which included prominent American figures such as President Calvin Coolidge, General John Pershing, and John Rockefeller; and

WHEREAS, This City Council joins the sentiment of those original promotors, and wishes to demonstrate its continued commitment to honoring and preserving the City of Philadelphia’s role in the creation and formation of the Federal Government of the United States of American; and

WHEREAS, The Constitution of the United States has served as a model form of government and as an experiment in representative democracy for 230 years; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PHILADELPHIA, That September 17, 2017, be recognized as Constitution Day in the City of Philadelphia, on the 230th Anniversary of the Signing of the The United States Constitution.

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