Der 17. September ist Citizenship Day

In Erinnerung an die Unterzeichnung der Verfassung sowie in Anerkennung der amerikanischen Bürger, die sich darum bemühen die Pflichten und Verantwortungen, die mit Staatsbürgerschaft verbunden sind, aufrecht zu erhalten, wurde vom U.S. Kongress am 29. Februar 1952 (36 U.S.C. 106), der 17. September als offizieller "Citizenship Day" erklärt.
Am 2. August 1956 (36 U.S.C. 108) folgte Erweiterung insofern, dass der Präsident jedes Jahr die dem 17. September folgende Woche als "Constitution Week" proklamieren solle.

Offizielle Definition durch den United States Code im folgenden:
Sec. 106. Citizenship Day

• (a) Designation. - September 17 is Citizenship Day.
• (b) Purpose. - Citizenship Day commemorates the formation and signing on September 17, 1787, of the Constitution and recognizes all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.
• (c) Proclamation. - The President may issue each year a proclamation calling on United States Government officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on Citizenship Day and inviting the people of the United States to observe Citizenship Day, in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies.
• (d) State and Local Observances. - The civil and educational authorities of States, counties, cities, and towns are urged to make plans for the proper observance of Citizenship Day and for the complete instruction of citizens in their responsibilities and opportunities as citizens of the United States and of the State and locality in which they reside.

Wie sieht eine solche Proklamation denn nun aus? Nachfolgend die 2004 Proklamation:

September 17, 2004
Two hundred and seventeen years ago this week, delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed one of the most enduring documents in history: the Constitution of the United States. Our Constitution is the foundation of our liberty and has guaranteed the rights of our people through a history of tremendous change and progress.
Today, we marvel at the wisdom of the Framers who toiled through a long summer of learned and contentious debates. Their work produced a document that upholds high ideals, while answering the most practical questions of governance. The charter they crafted -- with its separate branches of Government, enumerated powers, checks and balances, and later the specific protections provided by our Bill of Rights -- guides our Nation and inspires others around the world.
During Constitution Week, our Nation reflects on the significance of our Constitution and gives thanks for the blessings of liberty that this document helps to secure. We honor the men and women who have supported and defended it throughout our history, at times with their lives. On Citizenship Day, we reaffirm our commitment to freedom, to ensuring that our history endures, and to instilling in America's next generation the values that make our country great.
In remembrance of the signing of the Constitution and in recognition of the Americans who strive to uphold the duties and responsibilities of citizenship, the Congress, by joint resolution of February 29, 1952 (36 U.S.C. 106, as amended), designated September 17 as "Citizenship Day," and by joint resolution of August 2, 1956 (36 U.S.C. 108, as amended), requested that the President proclaim the week beginning September 17 and ending September 23 of each year as "Constitution Week."
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 17, 2004, as Citizenship Day, and September 17 through September 23, 2004, as Constitution Week. I encourage Federal, State, and local officials, as well as leaders of civic, social, and educational organizations, to conduct ceremonies and programs that celebrate our Constitution and reaffirm our rights and obligations as citizens of our great Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-ninth.
GEORGE W. BUSH