Each Sept. 17, Americans celebrate Constitution Day, commemorating the date in 1787 that 39 founders signed the newly drafted Constitution in Philadelphia. On June 21, 1788, the Constitution became the governing framework of the United States when New Hampshire became the ninth of the 13 states to ratify it.

The Bill of Rights, comprised of the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, was added to the Constitution later after it was ratified by the required three-fourths of the states in December 1791. It is rightly celebrated for its protections of certain fundamental rights, such as freedom of speech and religion, the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, the right to due process, the right to a speedy jury trial, and so forth.