September 17 is Constitution Day—the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution in Philadelphia in 1787. It’s an opportunity to celebrate our founding charter and the rights and liberties it enshrines, and a chance to take stock of the work that remains to ensure its protections extend to everyone in the country.
Above all, Constitution Day is an occasion for civic education. In fact, since 2004 Congress has mandated that all federal agencies and federally funded schools provide educational opportunities about the Constitution on the day.
This year, The Constitution Project at the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is taking a whole week to celebrate the Constitution. We’ll be posting a series of articles imagining life without key constitutional rights, and you can visit POGO’s Facebook page for an interactive adventure to see what could happen in a world without the Constitution. We’ll also be featuring interviews with experts who have dedicated their careers to defending the Constitution. As you explore our content, be sure to listen to our staff-curated Spotify playlist inspired by the 27 amendments—check it out below. Finally, on Friday, Constitution Project staff will hold a Twitter chat looking back at the week and previewing some of the work to come.
Listen: Constitution-Themed Playlist
In any event, we hope you enjoy this playlist on Constitution Day and any time you need a reminder of the individual rights and limits on government power found in our nation’s founding document (along with a handful of constitutional modifications to prevent repetition of past missteps…we’re looking at you, 12th Amendment!).
We've included a table of the songs and corresponding amendments below.
| Song | Artist | Amendment to the Constitution |
|---|---|---|
| Express Yourself | NWA | 1st: Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and to petition the government |
| Happiness is a Warm Gun | The Beatles | 2nd: Right to keep and bear arms |
| No Quarter | Led Zeppelin | 3rd: Prohibits quartering of troops without consent of homeowner |
| Searchin' | The Coasters | 4th: Prohibits unreasonable search or seizure; warrants must be issued on probable cause |
| The Sound of Silence | Simon and Garfunkel | 5th: Guarantees rights to due process, against self-incrimination, against double jeopardy, and to just compensation |
| I Stand Accused | Al Green | 6th: Right to impartial jury, speedy trial, presentment of charges, confrontation of witnesses, subpoena, and counsel. |
| Ambulance Chaser | Clap Your Hands Say Yeah | 7th: Right to jury trial in civil cases over $20 |
| It's Not Unusual | Tom Jones | 8th: Prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment |
| Things Left Unsaid | Pink Floyd | 9th: People have rights in addition to those explicitly listed in the Constitution |
| People Have the Power | Patti Smith | 10th: Rights not delegated in the Constitution are reserved for the states or the people. |
| U Can't Touch This | MC Hammer | 11th: Sovereign immunity—states are immune to suits for money damages or equitable relief without their consent |
| The Election of 1800 | Hamilton (Daveed Diggs, Okieriete Onaodowan, Leslie Odom Jr., Lin-Manuel Miranda) | 12th: Amends the electoral college to prevent a tie for President (*like in the election of 1800 ) |
| Oh Freedom! | The Golden Gospel Singers | 13th: Prohibition of slavery (except in cases of imprisonment) |
| A Change is Gonna Come | Sam Cooke | 14th: Defines citizenship, right to due process and equal protection in the states |
| Voice Your Choice | The Radiants | 15th: Right to vote can't be abridged on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude |
| Taxman | The Beatles | 16th: Federal government power to collect income tax |
| Popular | Wicked (Kristin Chenoweth) | 17th: Provides for popular election of U.S. Senators |
| Drinkin' Problem | Midland | 18th: Prohibition of alcohol |
| Sisters are Doing It For Themselves | Aretha Franklin, Eurythmics | 19th: Right to vote can't be abridged on account of sex |
| Closing Time | Semisonic | 20th: Specifies end date of presidential term of office on Jan 20th; and end date for Senators' term on Jan. 3 |
| Have a Drink on Me | AC/DC | 21st: Repeal of Prohibition |
| Love Me Two Times | The Doors | 22nd: Term limits for the president |
| Chocolate City | Parliament | 23rd: DC as seat of government and DC residents can vote in presidential election (but otherwise have no representation in Congress) |
| Money, Money, Money | ABBA | 24th: Bans poll tax |
| Crazy | Patsy Cline | 25th: Presidential succession in case of removal, death, resignation, or incapacitation (or inability) |
| I'm Eighteen | Alice Cooper | 26th: Right to vote at age 18 |
| Rich Girl | Hall & Oates | 27th: A raise that Congress gives itself can't take effect until the after the next election |
Check back throughout the week to join our celebration of the Constitution!
The Constitution Project seeks to safeguard our constitutional rights when the government exercises power in the name of national security and domestic policing, including ensuring our institutions serve as a check on that power.