Constitution's Final Days and a Justice's Birth: A September Chronology

Three consecutive entries in Reason's "Today in Supreme Court History" series highlight different milestones. On September 16, 1787, the Constitutional Convention finished its work on the document. The next day, September 17, the Constitution was signed, giving rise to Constitution Day.

The following day, September 18, 1857, marks the birth of John Hessin Clarke, who later served on the U.S. Supreme Court. The sources do not connect these events beyond their proximity in the calendar; they are separate historical notes from the same series.

Together, they illustrate the range of what the daily column covers—from the founding document to the people who later interpreted it.