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Capital Campus Library

Capital Constitution Day

Introduction

Here is your guide for research on Constitution Day and the United States Constitution at the Arthur C. Banks Library. Notice the tabs along the top of the screen; select the one that best matches your informational need.

From the Library of Congress Constitution Day website:

The members of the Constitutional Convention signed the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Constitutional Convention convened in response to dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation and the need for a strong centralized government. After four months of secret debate and many compromises, the proposed Constitution was submitted to the states for approval. Although the vote was close in some states, the Constitution was eventually ratified and the new Federal government came into existence in 1789. The Constitution established the U.S. government as it exists today.

Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father and Signer of the United States Constitution.

 pixelated black and white drawing of Benjamin Franklin as an older man. His hair is long and his hairline receding.

Signers of the United States Constitution. You can find information on the following individuals in the library's biographical databases.

Signers of the United States Constitution

Delaware

  • George Reed
  • Gunning Bedford Jr.
  • John Dickinson
  • Richard Bassett
  • Jacob Broom

Maryland

  • James McHenry
  • Thomas Jenifer
  • Daniel Carroll

Virginia

  • John Blair
  • George Mason
  • James Madison
  • George Washington

North Carolina

  • William Blount
  • Richard Dobbs Spaight
  • Hugh Williamson

South Carolina

  • Charles Cotesworth Pickney
  • Pierce Butler
  • John Rutledge

Georgia

  • William Few
  • Abraham Baldwin

New Hampshire

  • John Langdon
  • Nicholas Gilman

Massachusetts

  • Nathaniel Gorham
  • Rufus King

Connecticut

  • Oliver Ellsworth
  • Samuel Johnson
  • Roger Sherman

New  York

  • Alexander Hamilton
  • William Livingston

New Jersey

  • David Brearley
  • William Paterson
  • Jonathan Dayton
  • Pennsylvania
  • Benjamin Franklin
  • Robert Morris