September 17 marks Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, a holiday during which Americans can reflect on two hallmarks that make their nation unique. The United States is a nation mostly composed of immigrants and their descendents whose lyric of freedoms depend on foundational laws set forth nearly 250 years ago by the United States Constitution. The Constitution was drafted in 1787, ratified in 1788, and has been functioning since 1789 as a series of fundamental laws that provide the operational framework for the United States and its people.
While indigenous Americans trace back their roots through this land over the course of millennia, the majority of Americans (or their families) have immigrant origins with heritage from places near and far all over the world. It’s therefore little wonder that the United States government formally recognized the U.S. Constitution and citizenship – twin pillars of American culture – with a singular holiday that was first designated by a 1952 joint resolution of Congress.
The 1986 Statue of Liberty Half Dollar celebrates the arrival of immigrants from afar seeking citizenship in the United States. The reverse of this coin, anchored by an obverse motif of the Statue of Liberty, depicts an immigrant family setting foot on the skyscraper-lined shores of New York Harbor; they look into the horizons, ready to build their new lives in a nation so many believe is paved with streets of gold – a metaphor that rings true for so many.
Just a year after the 1986 Statue of Liberty Half Dollar (and a silver dollar and $5 gold piece) honoring the centennial of the New York landmark came a commemorative program recognizing the bicentennial of the United States Constitution. The 1987 Constitution Silver Dollar was issued alongside the 1987 Constitution $5 gold coin and offers a glimpse of American unity on the obverse; the reverse of the 1987 Constitution Silver Dollar showcases a stylized visage of the founding document that predicates the principle laws of the land today.