December 15The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution of 1787—referred to collectively as the Bill of Rights—were ratified on December 15, 1791 ( see Citizenship Day). This landmark document protected American citizens from specific abuses by their government and guaranteed such basic rights as the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. In 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated December 15 as Bill of Rights Day and called upon Americans to observe it with appropriate patriotic ceremonies.
On December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and member countries of the U.N. began to observe December 10 as Human Rights Day. In the United States, the observance extends from December 10 to December 17 and is referred to as Human Rights Week. Since it encompasses December 15, the two events are now observed together and are typically celebrated with essay contests on the importance of freedom and democracy, special radio and television shows, and speeches on the themes of personal freedom and human rights.
In Massachusetts, the week of December 8-15 has been celebrated as Civil Rights Week since 1952. It honors not only the ratification of the Bill of Rights but the adoption of the state's first code of laws, the Body of Liberties, on December 10, 1641.
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SOURCES:
AmerBkDays-2000, p. 831
DaysCustFaith-1957, p. 314