Constitution Week begins this Saturday and the Desert Wells Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution are marking the occasion in various ways.
They’ll start by ringing bells on Constitution Day Sept. 17 and are also joining with DAR members across the country, who are “obtaining proclamations from public officials, creating displays in schools, libraries, courthouses, and other public areas, distributing copies of the Constitution, Preamble to the Constitution, and other patriotic literature, and other efforts to educate their community about the Constitution,” said Midge Garrison, chapter historian.
“There are two documents of the utmost importance to American history: the Declaration of Independence, which forged our national identity, and the United States Constitution, which set forth the framework for the federal government that functions to this day,” she explained.
While everyone knows what Independence Day is about, Garrison said, “fewer people know about Constitution Week, an annual commemoration of the living document that upholds and protects the freedoms central to our American way of life.”
The Daughters of the American Revolution initiated the observance in 1955, petitioning Congress to dedicate Sept. 17-23 of each year to the commemoration of the Constitution. On Aug. 2, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into law.
The purpose of the week is to promote study and education about the Constitution, Garrison said.
Based in Queen Creek and founded in 2005, the Desert Wells DAR Chapter includes women as well from Apache Junction, Florence, Gold Canyon and San Tan Valley.
Members range in age from late teens to the 80s and include professional women, students, stay-at-home moms, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, single parents, and both current and retired military members and wives.
“Some of us have multiple generations in the DAR, while some of us are just starting as the first generation,” the group says on its website. “We may be different in many ways, but we all believe in the basic tenets of supporting God, Home, and Country.”
The chapter took its name from the old Desert Wells Stage Stop located on the former Andrade Ranch in Queen Creek, which is now owned and maintained by the San Tan Historical Society.
“It was a small spur stop that holds a significant role in Queen Creek’s history and folklore,” the chapter website states.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is a women’s service organization whose members can trace their lineage to an individual who contributed to securing American independence during the Revolutionary War.
It was founded in 1890 to preserve the memory and spirit of those who contributed to securing American independence.
Through the DAR Genealogical Research System (dar.org/GRS), the public can access a free database of information amassed by the DAR about these patriots.
The nonprofit, nonpolitical women’s service organization has more than 185,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide. Members annually provide millions of hours of volunteer service to their local communities across the country and world.
Information about the chapter: desertwellsazdar.weebly.com.