Another 250th anniversary? This one, honoring the Constitution, comes in 11 years and Brendan Boyle wants to get ready.
Another big national party is coming our way. Pace yourself, Philadelphia.
Philly just finished celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with crackling fireworks, an early morning concert and a string of patriotic events throughout the summer.
But now that the confetti has been swept away and the World Cup traffic has finally subsided, you may be thinking it’s a good time to get your head out of the 18th Century.
If only it were that easy.
In a mere 11 years, Philadelphia will be the center of yet another semiquincentennial celebration: the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution.
And because you live in the city where they invented America, you’re in store for another round of historic commemorations.
To drive home the point, Democratic U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle of Philadelphia announced Monday at the National Constitution Center that he’ll be introducing federal legislation to create a federal commission to plan the celebration of the original 4,543-word document (7,591 words if you count all 27 amendments) in the year 2037.
The Constitution was drafted during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, and signed at Independence Hall on September 17, 1787. It was ratified on June 21, 1788.
“It’s a special moment,” Boyle said. “We can’t waste any time to be fully prepared to meet that moment.”
As though sensing that people here might have a historical hangover, Boyle added gleefully, “I never met a Philadelphian who’s partied out!”
Vince Stango, interim president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, said it’s never too early to start planning the party.
“This gives us the opportunity to carry forward the momentum of 2026,” he said. What comes between now and 2037, Stango said, is a “civic decade” of speaking about and getting more knowledgeable of the document that set up America’s national government, and that protects citizens’ rights.
“Here in Philadelphia,” he said reminding us of our local duties, “we have a special responsibility” to honor the Constitution, a made-in-Philly product that the world has long envied and admired.
Boyle added that “so many of the freedoms protected by the Constitution are very much a live issue today.” He added that the start of planning for 2037 “very much coincides with the national conversation we are having over a whole host of Constitutional rights.”
Though Boyle wasn’t specific, the nation has been arguing over many of the 281 Executive Orders President Donald Trump has issued since returning to office last year , demonstrating a reliance on Article II of the Constitution.
As an example, in June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, guaranteed under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
Boyle reminded listeners that he’s been very much involved with 250th-style celebrations.
Two days before the July 4 celebration this year, more than 30 members of the 119th Congress attended an event at Independence Hall marking the passage of the declaration. Boyle, whose district includes the site, had long endeavored to gather his colleagues for the occasion.
“Anniversaries are not just about honoring the dead, but educating the living.” Boyle said.
And keep in mind Stango’s parting words Monday: We will all be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Bill of Rights here in Philadelphia in 2041.
Don’t forget to reserve your spot to see the fireworks then.
