By Nancy Price
The Mary Bryan Chapter of the Daughters of the Revolution in Greenwood is spreading awareness of the anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution.
Constitution Week is celebrated each year from Sept. 17-23.
Lou Ann Bennett, chairperson of the Constitution committee for the Mary Bryan Chapter of the Daughters of the Revolution, said she thinks it’s important for U.S. citizens to understand the Constitution because “the purpose of the Constitution was to establish our federal government.”
“We provide handouts about the Constitution to local libraries and try to get articles in the paper,” she said. “We have in the past had the mayor of Greenwood do a proclamation declaring Constitution Week for Greenwood.”
While Independence Day celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, fewer people know about Constitution Week. The Daughters of the American Resolution (DAR) initiated the observance in 1955, when the organization petitioned U.S. Congress to dedicate the week of Sept. 17-23 as Constitution Week. Congress adopted the resolution. On Aug. 2, 1956, then President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into Public Law #915.
“The framers created a Constitution that translated into law the ideals upon which our nation was built,” said DAR President General Denise Doring VanBuren. “Their vision was so forward thinking that their words still guide us today. No American history education can be complete without a thorough understanding of the impact the Constitution has had on the lives of American citizens, past and present.”
For more information about Constitution Week, go to dar.org/national-society/education/constitution-week. For information about the Mary Bryan Chapter, go to Facebook: MaryBryanNSDAR or contact the registrar at stratford21@comcast.net.
Fun facts about the Constitution of the United States
- Unlike the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson did not write or sign the Constitution. He was in France at the time.
- At 81, Benjamin Franklin was the oldest person to sign the Constitution. He was in such poor health that he had to have help to sign it.
- It took 100 days to “frame” (create) the Constitution.
- Constitution Day is celebrated Sept. 17, the date it was signed in 1787.
