Northampton County Chapter DAR recognizes Constitution Week with Bells Across America

The United States Constitution stands as a testament to the tenacity of Americans throughout history to maintain their liberties and freedoms and to ensure those unalienable rights to every American.

The tradition of celebrating the Constitution was started by the Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1955, DAR 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 US Congress and signed into public law on August 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The aims of the celebration are to:

• Emphasize citizen’s responsibilities for protecting and defending the Constitution.

• Inform people that the Constitution is the basis for America’s great heritage and the foundation for our way of life.

• Encourage the study of the historical events which led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787.

Bells Across America is an annual celebration of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Participants gather to ring bells, much as the church bells of Philadelphia rang out when the U.S. Constitution was first signed at 4 pm on September 17, 1787.

The Northampton County Chapter is encouraging local churches to ring bells on September 17th for 1 minute at 4:00 EDT to herald the beginning of this commemorative week.