How much do you know about the U.S. Constitution?

COLUMBIA — Schools will celebrate Constitution Day on Friday to honor what John Adams called "the greatest single effort of national deliberation that the world has ever seen."

Because of a law passed in 2005, schools receiving federal funding are required to teach students about the Constitution and First Amendment on Sept. 17, or the closest school day to that date.

Why Sept. 17? On that day in 1787, delegates from the Constitutional Convention held their final meeting with the sole purpose of signing the document. Once they signed it, they sent copies to state legislatures for ratification.

In conjunction with the Missouri Bar Association, the Missouri Press Association released information about how schools can best educate students about the Constitution based on grade level. Here are some interesting facts the groups included:

• Established on Nov. 26, 1789, the first national "Thanksgiving Day" was originally created by George Washington as a way of "giving thanks" for the Constitution.

• George Washington was unanimously chosen as president of the Constitutional Convention. He was the only founding father who did not go to college.

• More than 11,000 amendments have been introduced in Congress. Thirty-three have gone to the states to be ratified, and 27 have received the necessary approval from the states to actually become amendments to the Constitution.

• The entire Constitution is on display only one day of the year, Sept. 17. (To find out where, take the quiz further down in this article.)

• Vault doors weighing 5 tons protect the Constitution.

• The Founding Fathers spent approximately 100 days working at the Constitutional Convention.
  
  

How much do you know about the Constitution?

If you're looking for more challenges, here are some games from the Bill of Rights Institute: Constitution Duel Quiz, Life Without the Bill of Rights and Madison's Notes are Missing.

And finally, no Constitution Day story would be complete without Schoolhouse Rock! To learn the preamble to the Constitution, just add music.