The legislation calling for Constitution Day and Citizenship Day and its precursors has always called for the president to make a proclamation every year to make the holiday official. Here is a collection of some of them.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
President FDR approved the first I Am An American Day in 1940 in order to celebrate naturalized immigrants and youth reaching the voting age at the time, which was 21. The hope was to educate people about their duties as U.S. citizens. At the time, I Am An American Day was the third Sunday every May.
Harry S. Truman
Under Truman, I Am An American Day was renamed to Citizenship Day and moved to September 17th, the day the Constitution was signed in 1787.
Dwight D Eisenhower
Eisenhower was the first president to declare a special week-long holiday after Citizenship Day called Constitution Week in order to extend the reach of Citizenship Day. From this point forward, Citizenship day was expanded to include more than just what it means to be a U.S. citizen. It became a day to celebrate the foundations of the United States: the Constitution and its people.
John F Kennedy
In the era of civil rights, JFK found it especially important to celebrate all people in the United States and create a sense of unity.
Lyndon B. Johnson
LBJ hoped to bring the nation together on Constitution Day as the nation continued to mourn JFK a year after his assassination.
Richard M. Nixon
Richard Nixon was the first president to make a proclamation after the passage of the 26th amendment in March 1871, allowing 18-year-olds to vote. Before this point, the holiday celebrated people turning 21. For the first time, it began celebrating people turning 18.
Gerald R. Ford
President Ford celebrated the 200th anniversary of the proclamation of Independence in 1776. He called people to educate themselves about the founding of the United States on that important anniversary.
James E. Carter
President Carter found it important to celebrate the events that helped early America learn what its Constitution would need on the 200th anniversary of the Articles of Confederation, a precursor to the Constitution. And he also declared a say to remember them.
Ronald W. Reagan
Ronald Reagan had the honor of celebrating the 200th anniversary of the constitution.
George H. W. Bush
To end this string of presidents celebrating 200th anniversaries on Citizenship Day, George H. W. Bush wrote about the 200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights, and important addition to the Constitution that grants liberties to the people.
William J. Clinton
Bill Clinton made it clear that in the celebration of Citizenship Day, it is important for Americans not to be divided and to focus on their identities as Americans first an foremost.
George W . Bush
Signing his first proclamation of this sort mere days after the 9/11 attacks, it was more important than ever to draw the nation together on its foundation at such a tragic time. In 2004, the name was changed to Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.
Barack Obama
President Obama depicted Constitution Day and Citizenship Day as a beacon of hope and democracy. He encouraged people to participate in democracy to make the most out of their constitutional rights.
Donald J. Trump
President Trump expressed that Constitution Day and Citizenship Day serves as a reminder the Constitution exists to establish a system of checks and balances.
Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Biden noted the historic and ongoing strife and struggles people endure in order to counter threats against free and fair elections and the right to vote. He recognized the pressing need to "protect and expand the fundamental right to vote and make our democracy more equitable and accessible for all Americans."
