“We the People” live the Constitution every day. As the nation continues to celebrate the 250th anniversary year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we are called to Illuminate our Constitutional Legacy—not only during Constitution Week, but all year strong!” - Nancy Davis, National DAR Chair, Constitution Week.
Each year, the nation celebrates Constitution Week Sept. 17-23 as the U.S. Constitution was adopted and signed by delegates to the Constitutional Convention Sept. 17, 1787. In this year when the nation pays tribute to the Declaration of Independence of 1776, DAR members want to remind individuals that there's more than one founding document.
The Declaration of Independence contained the revolutionary declaration that, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” That phrase, often quoted, is not in the Constitution. The two documents are often confused.
That day in 1776 select gathered leaders decided to reject the government ruled by England’s King George III. At that point, there was not a real governmental structure to replace Parliament or the king. Delegates returned to their states and began to work on state constitutions. Those state governments initially diverged in their laws and priorities. They identified themselves as 13 different countries, more than as a united front.
The individual autonomy that the 13 clung to was a considerable problem for fighting a war. The first governing document was debated in Philadelphia after the signing of the declaration until the Articles of Confederation were finalized in November 1777, over a year later. It took until March 1781 for all the colonies to sign.
The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union proved to grant inadequate unity for the government to thrive. A new convention was authorized to provide a stronger central government with more mutual responsibility and less regional splintering.
A convention to revise the Articles was held May 25-Sept. 23, 1787. With George Washington presiding, many debates about policy and procedures unfurled, but their respect for Washington maintained decorum. It was on Sept. 23, 1787 that the delegates signed the agreed document.
The preamble echoes the lofty ideals that we sometimes forget when we argue over details: We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution is honored to remind you of the valuable gift of the Constitution of the United States of America.
