U.S. CONSTITUTION & CITIZENSHIP DAY CONSTITUTION PROJECT

WHEREAS, September 17th is United States Constitution and Citizenship Day and this day commemorates the September 17, 1787, signing of the U.S. Constitution; and

WHEREAS, each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year is required to hold an educational program about the U.S. Constitution for its students; and

WHEREAS, September 17, 2012 will mark the 225th Anniversary of the U.S. Constitution; and

WHEREAS, the Constitutional Convention first convened on May 14, 1787 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and the U.S. Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Constitution is one of the most influential legal documents in existence as over one hundred countries around the world have used it as a model for their own; and

WHEREAS, according to a 1998 national survey released by the National Constitution Center, more teens know which city has the zip code "90210" than the city in which the U.S. Constitution was written (75 percent to 25 percent); and

WHEREAS, a 2010 national survey conducted by the Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier found while the vast majority of Americans (86 percent) believe that the Constitution is important to their daily lives, less than one third have taken the time to read all (28 percent) or even most (14 percent) of the 4,400 words; and

WHEREAS, Only 16 percent of young people (ages 18–24) report understanding “a lot” about the Constitution, despite having most recently completed their formal education; and

WHEREAS, BE THE PEOPLE: The Constitution Project celebrates the 225th anniversary of the Constitutional Convention through a unique series of videos, interviews, social media campaigns, events and educational programming and  BE THE PEOPLE will highlight how the U.S. Constitution and Constitutional Convention influences all US citizens from students to business and political leaders; and

WHEREAS, BE THE PEOPLE is a non-partisan, joint effort between Republic Square, The Campaign for the American Conversation and the Harvard Kennedy School, the Constitution campaign will culminate on September 17, 2012, United States Constitution and Citizenship Day; and

WHEREAS, Republic Square is non-partisan, non-profit organization that promotes leadership and integrity in politics through the development of political and civic engagement programs. Republic Square organizes initiatives based around its I.D.E.A methodology - Investigate, Design, Educate, Activate - and the belief that nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE RESOLVED, that The US Conference of Mayors encourages:  Mayors to visit schools on September 17, 2012 to celebrate the 225^th Anniversary of the Constitution and promote United States Constitution and Citizenship Day by recording interviews with BE THE PEOPLE about the Constitution, highlight the special occasion through social media and city marketing assets, and/or host Constitution & Citizenship celebrations in City Hall.