The photographs in this case show Americans of various ethnic backgrounds celebrating “I Am an American Day” in Philadelphia during and immediately after World War II. In 1940, Congress designated the third Sunday of May as “I Am An American Day.” It was a celebration of all Americans who attained the rights of citizenship in the past year, either by becoming naturalized or by reaching voting age.
The holiday was renamed “Citizenship Day” in 1952 and its celebration moved to September 17, the date of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. In 2004, the day was again renamed to “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day,” or simply Constitution Day. Constitution Day is still observed every September 17 by institutions and educators throughout the United States—including the Historical Society of Pennsylvania—as an opportunity to reflect on the rights and obligations of citizenship and the history that has shaped them.