Constitution Week Observed

By Misty Cryer

September 17 is designated as Constitution Day, commemorating the signing of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787. This is an important day for the nation, as this year marks the 238th anniversary of the founding document’s framing by state delegates at the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

Mayor Lopez issued a proclamation on September 2 officially recognizing the document, its anniversary, and the patriotic celebrations to commemorate it. The proclamation provides some history and states, “…in special recognition of her birthday, I, Mayor Richard Lopez, hereby proclaim September 17 through 23rd as: ‘Constitution Week’ and ask our citizens to reaffirm the ideals the Constitution’s framers had in 1787 by vigilantly protecting the freedoms guaranteed to us through this guardian of our liberties.”

Jolene Goodwin, Regent of Thomas Jefferson, Carlsbad’s Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), provided an information sheet about Constitution Week and an announcement from the local DAR chapter.

“The tradition of celebrating the Constitution was started by the Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1955, DAR petitioned Congress to set aside September 17-23 to be dedicated for the observance of Constitution Week,” said the information sheet. “The resolution was later adopted by the US Congress and signed into public law on August 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower,” it said.

The standing of the United States Constitution is recognized on the information sheet as a “testament to the tenacity of Americans throughout history to maintain their liberties and freedoms and to ensure those unalienable rights to every American.”

The announcement submitted follows:

Constitution Week is regularly celebrated and promoted by Daughters of the American Revolution. DAR is a non-profit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization founded in 1890 that is dedicated to promoting historic preservation, education, and patriotism across the United States, according to the organization’s website (https://www.dar.org/).

The Outreach section of the DAR website provides information about historic preservation and patriotism, highlighting preservation projects and patriotic endeavors that the DAR society engages in. Education is also located in the Outreach section, featuring educational programs including resources for teachers.

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration website provides educational resources along with information about the three founding documents of our nation—The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States, and The Bill of Rights (https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs).

“These three documents, known collectively as the Charters of Freedom, have secured the rights of the American people for more than two and a quarter centuries, and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States,” says the introduction to these documents on the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration website.