Star Staff Reports
MEMPHIS — Communities throughout the nation will be celebrating the spirit and meaning of the country’s Constitution beginning September 17. On this day in 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, 39 delegates at the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution of the United States of America.
Nearly 170 years later, in 1955, DAR spearheaded an effort to set aside one week annually when Americans could celebrate this iconic signing. After petitioning Congress to set aside the week of September 17 – 23, on August 2, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Constitution Week into law. Local chapters of NSDAR celebrate with many events to honor this founding document. Celebrations begin with Bells Across America, on September 17, when bells across the country are rung simultaneously at 4 p.m. EDT.
The week also features displays in schools, libraries, and other community locations; Proclamation signings, educational presentations in schools or in public, broadcast interviews and outdoor signage. For ways that you and your community can join the celebration go to Constitution Week | Daughters of the American Revolution (dar.org).
For more information contact chantigger@yahoo.com or the local chapter in your community for more information on special events for this celebration.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution urges Americans to reflect on the United States Constitution during this month’s annual observance in honor this foundational document of national governance.
The DAR initiated the observance in 1955, when the service organization petitioned the U.S. Congress to dedicate September 17–23 of each year to the commemoration of Constitution Week. Congress adopted the resolution, and on August 2, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into Public Law #915. The celebration’s goals are threefold: to encourage the study of the historical events that led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787; to remind the public that the Constitution is the basis of America’s great heritage and the foundation for its way of life; and to emphasize U.S. citizens’ responsibility to protect, defend and preserve the U.S. Constitution.
“DAR made history when we led the way in making Constitution Week an official commemoration and today our members enthusiastically promote the celebration annually in communities across the country by erecting community displays, sponsoring municipal proclamations, ringing bells and staging programs to raise awareness of the Constitution’s protections and importance,” said DAR President General Ginnie Sebastian Storage. “As we embark on America’s 250th anniversary, we encourage all citizens to join us in celebrating this powerful document that is so important to American history and to reflect on the impact the Constitution has had on the lives of American citizens past, present and future.”
STATE OF TENNESSEE
PROCLAMATION
BY THE GOVERNOR
WHEREAS, the Constitution of the United States of America, the guardian of our liberties,
embodies the principles of limited government in a Republic dedicated to rule by law; and
WHEREAS, September 17, 2025, marks the two hundred and thirty-eighth anniversary of the
drafting of the Constitution of the United States of America by the Constitutional Convention; and
WHEREAS, it is the privilege and duty of the American people to commemorate the drafting of
the Constitution of the United States of America with appropriate ceremonies and activities; and
WHEREAS, Public Law 915 guarantees the issuing of a proclamation each year by the President of
the United States of America designating September 17 through 23 as Constitution Week;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Bill Lee, Governor of the State of Tennessee, hereby proclaim
September 17-23, 2025, as Constitution Week.
in Tennessee and encourage all citizens to join me in this worthy observance.
