About This Lesson
On February 29, 1952, Congress designated September 17 as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. This day commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787, and recognizes all American citizens.
Did you know that the census is written into the Constitution? That’s right! Article I, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution prescribes that a count of the U.S. population be done every ten years in years ending in zero. With more than 230 years of data, our nation's censuses and surveys serve as a valuable historical record illustrating America's changes and growth.
As the nation celebrates Constitution Day, it’s a good time to reflect on how our Founding Fathers enshrined in our Constitution the importance of statistics as a vital tool for measuring people, places, and economy. Interact with students using this handout that shares real census data related to Constitution Day. Then, view the teaching guide for ideas on how this fun facts handout can be used as a classroom activity.
