On Monday, September 17, 1787, 39 delegates to the Federal Convention in Philadelphia signed the Constitution of the United States, along with Major William Jackson, who had served as the secretary of the Convention. That same day, Jackson received instructions to leave for New York City on Tuesday and carry the document to Congress. All of these materials were in Washington's possession until March 19, 1796, when he gave them to Secretary of State Timothy Pickering. Today, they are in the holdings of the National Archives of the United States. All digital images of all microfilmed pages of the documents are available online. Using these documents, teachers can start an activity in which students will discuss and analyze the contents.