by Ambassador Callista L. Gingrich and Speaker Newt Gingrich
Almost 240 years ago in Philadelphia, 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. Eleven years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, this historic event marked an important milestone for our remarkable experiment in self-government.
Symbolically, the signing of the U.S. Constitution was the reward for years of toil and bloodshed in the Revolutionary War. It sent a signal to the world that the principles of freedom, liberty, and elected government would prevail. In a more practical sense, it was the official start of the United States government.
For more than two centuries, states and local governments recognized Constitution Day in various ways. Some named it “I am an American Day” or “Citizenship Day.” However, it was not federally recognized until 2004, when former Sen. Robert Byrd offered the Constitution Day amendment to the fiscal year 2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act.


- How to Win 2026: Newt Gingrich’s Five-Part Series for a Historic Republican Midterm VictoryFive episodes. One strategy for building an American majority.
- The Space Academy and Freedom in SpaceThere were two fascinating developments this week in the American effort to carry freedom into space.
- Hakeem Jeffries Declares War on the Trump AdministrationA Democratic victory in November will lead to a painful, conflict-ridden final two years of the Trump presidency.
- America Can’t Afford Another Failure of ImaginationFrom artificial intelligence and drone swarms to cyberattacks, biological threats, and vulnerabilities in America’s food and water systems, national security looks very different 25 years after 9/11.
- America’s New Know NothingsToday’s big-government socialists have the same disconnect with reality as a political movement that roiled 19th-century American politics.