ICYMI: Boyle Announces Legislation to Plan Celebration for 250th Anniversary of U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, PA - Today, Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02) announced new federal legislation to establish a national commission charged with planning the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States Constitution in 2037.

Boyle announced the legislation at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia alongside Vince Stango, Interim President and CEO of the National Constitution Center.

"I distinctly remember the bicentennial of our Constitution being celebrated here in Philadelphia in 1987. It was a massive event, and I look forward to ensuring that 2037 will be at least as significant as 2026 and 1987," said Congressman Brendan F. Boyle. "This is a great bipartisan effort. I think it is badly needed in our times that we keep this not as a Democratic thing or a Republican thing, but as an American thing. It is also an opportunity over these next few years to tell the story of our nation's Constitution and why it matters today. These anniversaries are not just about honoring the dead, they're about educating the living."

The United States Constitution was drafted during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 and signed at Independence Hall on September 17, 1787. Boyle's legislation would begin the work of ensuring that the Constitution's semiquincentennial is commemorated on a national scale while recognizing Philadelphia's unique role in the nation's founding.

"As Americans across the country have come together to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we must see 2026 not as an end point, but as the beginning of a longer national effort," said Vince Stango, Interim President and CEO of the National Constitution Center. "The Civic Decade gives us an opportunity to sustain the partnerships, infrastructure, and spirit of coming together that this anniversary has inspired, and to continue deepening investments in the civic, educational, and cultural institutions that connect Americans to our constitutional story. We are inspired by Congressman Boyle's leadership to introduce this bipartisan legislation into Congress and honored to announce this effort with him today. As we build together toward the Constitution's 250th anniversary in 2037, and ultimately the Bill of Rights' in 2041, the National Constitution Center is proud to help lead that work in Philadelphia and across the country."

The announcement builds on Boyle's ongoing efforts to highlight Philadelphia's central role in the founding of the United States. Earlier this year, Boyle brought a bipartisan Congressional delegation to Philadelphia as part of the national commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The new commission would bring together federal, state, local, and civic leaders to begin preparing for the Constitution's 250th anniversary and coordinate efforts surrounding the national commemoration, similar to the effort that began a decade ahead of the nation's 250th birthday.

The Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia in May 1787. After months of debate, delegates completed a new framework for the federal government, and the Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. The 250th anniversary of its signing will occur on September 17, 2037.

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