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October 27 is National Civics Day, a holiday that compels Americans to understand their individual rights, their duties as citizens, and how the government works. Established in 2021 by Long Island University’s Roosevelt School and The Society of Presidential Descendents, National Civics Day is widely taught in schools, libraries, and community centers around the country.
The holiday honors civics, which essentially refers to the rights and liberties guaranteed to individuals in the United States (such as the freedom of speech and the right to assemble), the duties and responsibilities of citizens (such as paying taxes and obeying laws), how the government works (including understanding the three branches of U.S. government and interaction between local, state, and federal laws), as well as knowing how citizens can participate in their country’s wellbeing (such as through voting and offering community service).
The core of the holiday celebrates Federalist No.1, which was published by American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton under his pseudonym “Publius” on October 27, 1787. The publication was written to compel the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, which provides the umbrella framework for the laws and rights that are guaranteed by the United States. The “amendments” that have been passed over the last two-plus centuries are literally amendments to the Constitution, or additional laws that have been authorized by the U.S. government and guaranteed to all citizens on a federal basis, or national level.
National Civics Day was largely inspired by the publication of Hamilton’s argument supporting the U.S. Constitution, so it’s fitting that we honor coins that commemorate this landmark American document. And we can do just that with the 1987 U.S. Constitution Dollar and $5 gold, which the U.S. Mint struck to honor the bicentennial, or 200th anniversary of that critical, framing national document.
The 1987 U.S. Constitution Silver Dollar depicts sheets of paper and a large quill, with the introductory words of the U.S. Constitution “We The People” prominently emblazoned across the canvas. The reverse features a diverse group of Americans standing together in freedom. The U.S. Constitution $5 gold coin places a great deal of artistic focus on the feathered pen, with clear and symbolic avian connections to the nation’s patriotic mascot, the American eagle, as well as the concept that the Constitution is something always being further written – it’s a living document to be amended as the nation’s grows in size and scope. Both coins were struck in proof and uncirculated formats and can be added to various PCGS Registry Sets.