National Archives Celebrates Bill of Rights Day with Naturalization Ceremony
Press Release · Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Washington, DC

On Tuesday, December 15, at 10 a.m., the National Archives continues its popular tradition of holding a naturalization ceremony for petitioners seeking United States citizenship. The moving ceremony will be in honor of the 218th anniversary of the adoption of the Bill of Rights, and will take place in front of the original “Charters of Freedom” (The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights) in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom of the National Archives Building. The ceremony is co-sponsored by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The Honorable Royce Lamberth, United States District Court for the District of Columbia will preside as 35 petitioners for United States citizenship take the oath of citizenship in front of the Charters of Freedom. The new citizens are from 23 nations: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Morocco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vietnam. Judge Lamberth and Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero will make remarks.

The Press is Invited to Cover the Ceremony. The press should use the Constitution Avenue special events entrance, at 7th Street, NW, and set up by 9:45 a.m., as the ceremony begins promptly at 10 a.m.

The Use of Flash and Additional Lights is Prohibited in the Rotunda.

Please note: due to the ceremony, the Rotunda will open to the public at 11:30 a.m. and remain open until 5:30 p.m. Regular hours of 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. resume on Wednesday, December 16.

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