In 1952, Congress passed a new law claiming September 17 to commemorate “the formation and signing, on September 17, 1787, of the Constitution of the United States.” In 2004 under Senator Robert Byrd’s urging, Congress changed the designation of this day to “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day” and added two new requirements - the first being the head of every federal agency provide each employee with educational and training materials concerning the Constitution on September 17, and the second being that each federally funded educational institution have a program for students every September 17.
In honor of this “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day,” see how much you remember about the U.S. Constitution.
1. How many words make up the Constitution? 2,559; 3,481; 4,400; 5,103.
2. What is considered the most glaring spelling error in the constitution?
3. Who “penned” the Constitution? Bonus: How much did it cost? George Washington; Elbridge Gerry; Jacob Shallus; James Madison.
4. Who was the youngest person to sign the Constitution? Benjamin Franklin; James Madison; Jonathan Dayton; James Jesse.
5. Who was the oldest person to sign the Constitution? Benjamin Franklin; George Washington; John Adams; Alexander Hamilton.
6. How many times is the word “democracy” used in the Constitution? 10; 12; 21; none.
7. How many people from Ireland signed the Constitution? 4; 6; 7; none.
8. What does the Constitution contain? The basic rules that direct the United States government; the reasons for having a United States Congress; the rules of Law Enforcement.
9. Who was called “The father of the Constitution?” George Mason; James Madison; George Washington; Benjamin Franklin.
10. Yes or No: Was Thomas Jefferson a member of the Constitutional Convention?
Answers
1. The U.S. Constitution has 4,400 words. It is the oldest and shortest written Constitution of any major government in the world. 2. Of the spelling errors in the Constitution, “Pensylvania” above the signers’ names is probably the most glaring. 3. The Constitution was “penned” by Jacob Shallus, a Pennsylvania General Assembly clerk, for $30. 4. The youngest was Jonathan Dayton of New Jersey. He was 26 years old. 5. The oldest person to sign the Constitution was 81-year old Benjamin Franklin. 6. The word “democracy” does not appear in the Constitution. 7. Four of the signers of the Constitution were born in Ireland. 8. The basic rules that direct the United States government. 9. James Madison because he played the biggest part in having the Constitution written. 10. No. Jefferson was not available, serving as Minister to France at the time of the Convention.