The Judith Randolph-Longwood Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) recently announced in a press release it is celebrating Sept. 17-23 as Constitution Week. The release cited, “More than two centuries ago, our Founding Fathers gathered in Philadelphia and drafted the U.S. Constitution. The document the Framers created promotes justice and preserves the liberty of all citizens in the United States of America. The U.S. Constitution established three separate branches of government, the Legislative, the Executive and the Judical. Today, the Constitution is the oldest document still in use that outlines self-government of a people.”

The release further cited, “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 Sept. 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 Aug. 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The aims of the celebration are to (1) emphasize citizens’ responsibilities for protecting and defending the Constitution, (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.”

According to the release, in 1928 the DAR began work on a building that would be 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 the only structure erected in tribute to the Constitution of the United States of America.

During Constitution Week, the release encouraged people to “take the time to read and study this document which is the safeguard of our American liberties.”