In honor of Constitution Week, which begins Thursday, September 17th, Hopkins County Judge Robert Newsom and City of Sulphur Springs Mayor Kayla Price read and presented proclamations to Regent Barbara Cockrum and members of the Captain David Phillips Chapter of the Daughters of American Revolution Thursday morning in the County Commissioners Courtroom.
Judge Newsom thanked those present to honor the constitution. He called the constitution the basis of our freedom and that it should not be changed, except by the people and for the people. The 228th anniversary of the signing of the constitution is honored on September 17, according to Newsom. In his proclamation, he admonished the people of Hopkins County to uphold the constitution.
Mayor Price stated it is of greatest importance that citizens fully understand the provisions and prinicples contained in the constitution inorder to preserve and protect it.
September 17, 2015, begins the national celebration of Constitution Week. The weeklong commemoration of America’s most important document is one of our country’s least known official observances. Our Constitution stands as a testament to the tenacity of Americans throughout history to maintain their liberties and freedom, and to ensure those inalienable rights to every American.
The tradition of celebrating the Constitution was started many years ago by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). In 1955, the Daughters petitioned Congress to set aside September 17-23 annually to be dedicated for the observance of Constitution Week. The resolution was later adopted by the U.S. Congress and signed into Public Law #915 on August 2, 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The aims of the celebration are to (1) emphasize citizens’ responsibilities for protecting and defending the Constitution, preserving it for posterity; (2) inform the people that the Constitution is the basis for America’s great heritage and the foundation for our way of life; and (3) encourage the study of the historical events which led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787.
The United States of America functions as a Republic under the Constitution, which is the oldest document still in active use that outlines the self-government of a people. This landmark idea that men had the inalienable right as individuals to be free and live their lives under their own governance was the impetus of the American Revolution. Today, the Constitution stands as an icon of freedom for people around the world.
“Constitution Week is the perfect opportunity to read and study this great document which is the safeguard of our American liberties,” states DAR President General, Lynn Forney Young. “We encourage all citizens across the country to take time this week to reflect on our heritage of freedom and come together to Celebrate America!”
DAR has served America for 125 years as its foremost cheerleader. In 1928, the Daughters began work on a building as a memorial to the Constitution. John Russell Pope, architect of the Jefferson Memorial, was commissioned to design the performing arts center, known as DAR Constitution Hall. Today, DAR Constitution Hall is one of the only structures erected in tribute to the Constitution of the United States of America.
Known as the largest women’s patriotic organization in the world, DAR has over 180,000 members with approximately 3,000 chapters in all 50 states and 13 foreign countries. The DAR has long promoted patriotism through commemorative celebrations, memorials, scholarships and activities for children, and programs for new immigrants.
