King Manor Holds Naturalization Ceremony on 227th Anniversary of the U.S. Constitution

On September 17th, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed by a majority of delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. One framer, Rufus King, had traveled to the Pennsylvania event from his family farm in Jamaica, Queens. The statesman’s career was only beginning at the time, and he went on to serve four terms as a U.S. Senator and seven years as an ambassador to Great Britain while also building a reputation as an ardent opponent of slavery. On September 17th of this year, the King Manor Museum, which is located on the grounds where Rufus once lived, will host a naturalization ceremony to welcome roughly 75 new citizens to their new country. These immigrants will take their oath in the shadow of a Founding Father’s home and swear to support the U.S. Constitution on the 227th anniversary of its signing. During a ceremony conducted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the new Americans will listen to the National Anthem, watch a color guard present Old Glory, and then proceed into King Manor to sign their names to a replica of the U.S. Constitution and take photos next to a life-size statue of Rufus King.

Details: Citizenship Day 2014, King Manor Museum, King Park, 150-03 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, free, BY INVITATION ONLY, contact Kathy Forrestal at Education@kingmanor.org.

Photos: King Manor Museum