Sept. 17 marked 237th anniversary of document’s signing in Philadelphia
By Connelly-Anne Ragley
The Constitution of the United States is the foundation of our country as it establishes the basic structure of the government, guarantees the fundamental rights of its citizens, and protects individual liberty.
It is a living document that has been adapted to meet the changing needs of the country over time, but its core principles remain the same.
The Constitution was finalized on Sept. 17, 1787, by delegates from the 13 original colonies.
It was ratified by the states in 1788 and went into effect in 1789. The Constitution has been amended 27 times since then, but its basic principles have remained the same.
South Carolina had four out of the 39 signers of this founding document including Pierce Butler, John Rutledge, Charles Pinckney and his second cousin, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney.
Each year, local chapters of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) celebrate and honor our nation’s most cherished document with the marking of Constitution Week.
The NSDAR led the charge for Congress to establish Constitution Week and the official designation was signed into public law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on Aug. 2, 1956.
The NSDAR, founded in 1890 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit, non-political volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through improved education for children.
Membership is comprised of more than 190,000 current members who are a direct, blood descendant of a man or woman who served or provided assistance during the American Revolution (1775-1781).
The cause of liberty and freedom may have been birthed by the Revolutionary War, but the new nation created after the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781 needed structure.
The Constitution created the needed framework by establishing a federal government, with power divided between the federal government and the states.
The federal government has certain powers that are exclusive to it, such as the power to declare war and regulate interstate commerce. The states have all other powers that are not specifically granted to the federal government.
The Constitution also established a system of checks and balances between the three branches of the federal government: The legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch. This system is designed to prevent any one branch of government from becoming too powerful.
Finally, the Constitution guarantees certain fundamental rights to all citizens, such as the right to freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, and the right to a fair trial. These rights are protected by the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.
The Columbia Chapter of NSDAR, South Carolina’s first DAR chapter founded in 1893, encourages the public to remember the Constitution during this week but also year-round as we continue together as a country to “form a more perfect Union” as described in the Constitution’s preamble.
Connelly-Anne Ragley is the Columbia chapter regent of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. She traces her lineage through multiple Revolutionary War ancestors in South Carolina who fought in the Battle of Cowpens and Kings Mountain, as well as Patriots who fought in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Columbia Chapter, NSDAR, is South Carolina’s oldest chapter and is home to a diverse membership of women from age 18 to 95 devoted to promoting patriotism, historic preservation and education through volunteer service. To learn more about the Columbia Chapter, NSDAR, please visit columbiachapterdar.org.
