On Tuesday, Sept. 10, Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs proclaimed the week of September 17-23, Constitution Week in the city of Cullman. On hand from the Daughters of the American Revolution to accept the proclamation from Jacobs were Anita Winslow, Linda Kuykendall, Pat Kahler, Cathy Shallal, Rhonda Van Zandt, Peggy Harris and Linda Schgier.

Created in 1787 and consisting of 4,400 words (4,543 including signatures), the U.S. Constitution is the shortest and longest-surviving written Constitution of any major government in the world. Sept. 17, 2024, marked the 237th anniversary of the signing of this document.

In 1787, during the course of less than four months, a group of men ranging in age from 26 to 81 devised a document that established our federal government with three equal branches of government and a system of checks and balances among those branches, divided power between the federal government and the states and continues to protect the individual liberties of its citizens.

“I am a big proponent of people reading and understanding the U.S. Constitution,” said Jacobs. “I am glad that the ladies of the DAR, along with other groups such as the Liberty Learning Foundation, work to promote understanding of the U.S. Constitution and to educate the public on the history of our great country.”

In 1955, the DAR petitioned Congress to set aside Sept. 17-23 annually to be dedicated for the observance of Constitution Week. The resolution was adopted by U.S. Congress and signed into Public Law #915 on Aug. 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The purpose of Constitution Week is to emphasize citizens’ responsibilities for protecting and defending the Constitution to preserve it for posterity; to inform the people that the Constitution is the basis for America’s great heritage and the foundation for our way of life; and, to encourage the study of the historical events which led to the framing of the Constitution.

“I keep a copy of the U.S. Constitution in my office to remind me of the principles that this country was founded upon,” said Jacobs. “I encourage everyone to read the Constitution during Constitution Week so that we never forget its value.”

To read the Constitution and other founding documents, or to find out more about the documents and the history of the United States, visit archives.gov or ask a DAR member.

To find out more about the Daughters of the American Revolution, visit dar.org.