The 223rd anniversary of the U.S. Constitution is being commemorated Sept. 17 by citywide ceremonies organized by Salisbury’s Elizabeth Maxwell Steele Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Hourly readings of key elements of the Constitution, the framework of American democracy, and interesting facts about the Constitution will take place at the Rowan Museum on North Main Street between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. that day.
On Sept. 16, Salisbury Mayor Susan W. Kluttz will issue a proclamation which will “urge all citizens to study the Constitution, and reflect on the privilege of being an American with all the rights and responsibilities which that privilege involves.”
During the Sept. 17 hourly readings on the Constitution by local DAR members, pamphlets and other items commemorating the Constitution, such as bookmarks and special pencils, will available to listeners. Local churches of all denominations have been asked to join with other churches throughout the nation to ring their bells at 4 p.m. on Sept. 17 to honor the Constitution’s anniversary.
The U.S. Constitution is the oldest constitution still in active use in the world today. It is the basic document that creates the United States of America as a democratic republic. The Preamble to the Constitution establishes that the federal government has no authority that is not given it in the body of the Constitution. The preamble also spells out the purpose of the Constitution as means to “form a more perfect Union, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”
Within the body of the Constitution and the subsequent amendments to it, the mechanics of our three-part government and the responsibilities of each part are enumerated and checks and balances between the branches are established. The three branches of government are the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The executive branch consists of the president and the agencies that carry out the business of government such as the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Transportation, the Interior Department, the Department of Defense and others. The president is designated the head of the executive branch, as the commander-in-chief of U.S. military forces, and assigned the responsibility of foreign diplomacy.
The legislative branch is the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, which create the laws of the nation. The legislative branch is the only part of the U.S. government that can raise money and levy taxes. The legislative branch establishes the budget of the United States and passes it as an appropriations law. The executive branch is charged with executing the appropriations.
The judicial branch is the federal court system and the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the final authority on determinations of whether any proposed law or action is consistent with Constitution.
The rights and protections of U.S. citizens are enumerated in the body of the original Constitution and the amendments to it. These include the right to free speech, free assembly, freedom to practice any religion, equal rights for all, the right of all citizens to vote, the freedom of the press, and many other elements that make the United States a free and democratic society open to all.
The Daughters of the American Revolution are women who can trace their ancestry back to those who fought in the American Revolutionary War that began in 1776.