Bill of Rights Day 2026: Tuesday, Dec. 15, and the 10 Amendments Ratified in 1791

Bill of Rights Day is Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2026, the anniversary of the day the National Archives says ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures in 1791. The 2026 presidential proclamation has not been issued as of Nov. 4, 2026; past proclamations came on or near Dec. 15. Below are the ten amendments, the dates through 2031 and a free one-page sheet.

Why is Bill of Rights Day on Dec. 15?

The National Archives says the First Congress proposed 12 amendments to the state legislatures on Sept. 25, 1789. Ten of them were ratified on Dec. 15, 1791, and those became the Bill of Rights. The Archives holds the document, which is on permanent display in the Rotunda of the National Archives Museum.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the day apart in Proclamation 2524 on Nov. 27, 1941. It says: “do hereby designate December 15, 1941, as Bill of Rights Day.” It also says the first ten amendments “became a part of the Constitution of the United States on the fifteenth day of December, 1791.” That made 1941 the 150th anniversary.

Bill of Rights timeline, 1789 to 2025

Date	What happened	Source
Sept. 25, 1789	The First Congress proposes 12 amendments to the states	National Archives
Dec. 15, 1791	Ten of the 12 are ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures	National Archives
Nov. 27, 1941	Roosevelt issues Proclamation 2524, designating Dec. 15, 1941, as Bill of Rights Day	The American Presidency Project
Dec. 15, 2025	Proclamation 10997: “do hereby proclaim December 15, 2025, as Bill of Rights Day”	GovInfo, The White House
Dec. 18, 2025	The 2025 proclamation is published in the Federal Register (Doc. 2025-23416)	Federal Register

What are the 10 amendments?

The middle column quotes the opening words of each amendment from the National Archives transcript. The short labels are ours, not the Archives’.

Amendment	Opening words (National Archives transcript)	Our label
1	“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”	Religion and expression
2	“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms”	Bearing arms
3	“No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner”	Quartering soldiers
4	“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches”	Searches
5	“No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment”	Criminal charges
6	“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial”	Criminal trials
7	“In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial”	Civil trials
8	“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted”	Bail, fines, punishments
9	“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others”	Other rights kept
10	“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States”	Powers of the states and people

Is Bill of Rights Day a federal holiday?

No. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) says federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103) establishes the public holidays on its Federal Holidays pages, and Bill of Rights Day is not on that list. We found no source that makes it a day off, so check your own employer or school as usual. For the holidays that are listed, see federal holidays in 2027.

What weekday is Bill of Rights Day through 2031?

The date is fixed at Dec. 15. The weekdays are our calculation.

Year	Date	Weekday
2026	Dec. 15	Tuesday
2027	Dec. 15	Wednesday
2028	Dec. 15	Friday
2029	Dec. 15	Saturday
2030	Dec. 15	Sunday
2031	Dec. 15	Monday

Mark it on the December 2026 printable calendar. Human Rights Day follows on Thursday, Dec. 10 and Wright Brothers Day on Dec. 17. For the rest of the month, see December 2026 important dates.

Can you see the Bill of Rights in person?

The National Archives says the Bill of Rights is on permanent display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum. The museum, at 701 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20408, lists daily hours of 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Check visit.archives.gov for holiday closures before you go. If you are planning a December trip, the Christmas Day page has the date.

What does the free Bill of Rights Day sheet include?

The one-page sheet lists the Dec. 15 date, the 1789 and 1791 dates, all ten amendments with our short labels and the 2027 date, with space to note the amendment you want to read again. Sources are the National Archives, The American Presidency Project and GovInfo pages listed below.