U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for July 2

WASHINGTON, July 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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FRIDAY, JULY 2: U.S. CONSTITUTION TAKES EFFECT

Profile America -- Friday, July 2nd.  Most of us are planning to spend this weekend with fireworks, family picnics and parades to celebrate July 4th on Sunday.  But today, July 2nd, is also very significant.  It was on this date in 1788 that the Constitution of the United States was formally adopted, transforming the loose organization of the states under the Articles of Confederation into a more perfect union.  One of the things the Constitution calls for is a census every 10 years, to ensure that seats in the House of Representatives reflect the distribution of the U.S. population. When the first congress convened, the House had 59 members.  Today, California alone has 53 seats in the House.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2010, p. 351

www.centeroncongress.org

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau