U.S. Observes Constitution Bicentennial - September 1987

The 200^th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution was observed, September 17. At the principal celebration, in Philadelphia, Pres. Ronald Reagan stood near Independence Hall and asserted, "In a very real sense, it was then--in 1787--that the revolution truly began." He said it was a revolution "to free man from tyranny of every sort and secure his freedom the only way possible in this world; through the checks and balances and institutions of limited, democratic government." Former Chief Justice Warren Burger, chairman of the Bicentennial Commission, struck a replica of the Liberty Bell. Floats and marching bands containing citizens from all 50 states paraded past Independence Hall.