Celebrating the 234th Anniversary of the Signing of the U.S. Constitution
The United States Constitution is the foundation of our freedoms in America. Constitution Week, which is observed every year from September 17 – 23, is in remembrance and celebration of the signing of the U.S. Constitution.
The public observance of Constitution Week was signed into law on August 2, 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution annually promotes celebration of Constitution Week. The Walter Leake Chapter of the DAR has asked the Mayor of Clinton and the City of Clinton to issue a proclamation observing Constitution Week in Clinton. Additionally, chapter members are setting up public displays in the Quisenberry Library, the Clinton Visitors Center, and the Olde Towne Depot. We are also providing posters for the schools to display during Constitution Week.
The National Society of the DAR annually sponsors a “Bells Across America” program. All across America at 3:00 p.m. on September 17, 2021, cities, towns, businesses, churches and individuals will ring bells in celebration of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. The Walter Leake DAR Chapter will host a “Bell Ringing” event at the Clinton Olde Towne Depot Bell Tower at 3:00 p.m. on September 17, 2021. We extends an invitation to the Mayor’s office and other City of Clinton officials, the staff of the Clinton Olde Towne Depot, the staff of The Clinton Courier and to the general public to join us. We are encouraging masks and social distancing at the event and attendees can choose to remain in their vehicles in the parking lot or nearby areas. Businesses, churches, organizations and individuals who are unable to attend the event are encouraged to ring any bells available to them at the appropriate time. Additionally, we encourage others to observe Constitution Week by displaying the American flag, reading about the Constitution, and talking to young people about it and its importance in our lives.
Constitution Minutes 2021 Q&A:
– Can residents of the District of Columbia vote in presidential elections?
Yes.
Even though the District of Columbia is not a state an has only a nonvoting delegate in the House of Representatives, the Twenty-third Amendment, ratified in 1961, gave district residents the right to vote for the president and gave the district electoral votes equivalent to those of the least populous state.
– Does the Constitution authorize the U.S. government to purchase new territory?
The Constitution makes no mention of purchasing land from foreign nations. In 1803, when France offered to sell its claim to the vast Louisiana Territory to the United States, President Thomas Jefferson first considered amending the Constitution. Realizing that ratifying an amendment would take too long, Jefferson interpreted the existing constitutional power to govern territories as implying the ability to purchase them. The Senate then ratified a treaty with France for the Louisiana Purchase. Article II, Section 2, gives the president the right to make treaties, subject to approval by a two-thirds vote of the Senate.
– Does the Constitution require states to provide attorneys for defendants who cannot afford to hire their own?
Yes.
The Supreme Court decided in Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) that under the Sixth Amendment, defendants charged with serious crimes have the right to have an attorney in state as well as federal courts. The Sixth Amendment states, “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury…, to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.” In 1938, the Supreme Court ruled that the government must provide counsel for defendants in federal court trials who cannot pay for one. But the Court did not extend this right to state trials until Gideon v. Wainwright. In Argersinger v. Hamlin (1972), the Court extended its Gideon ruling by specifying that a defendant found guilty of a misdemeanor—i.e., a less serious crime— cannot be sentenced to jail time unless offered an attorney at trial.
– Is the Fifth Amendment’s protection from self-incrimination limited to testimony given in a courtroom?
No.
In Miranda v. Arizona (1966), the Supreme Court ruled that the safeguard against selfincrimination also applies when the police take suspects in for questioning. Before any questioning can begin, police must explain to suspects that they have the right to remain silent, that their statements may be used against them, and that they have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. These are known as the Miranda rights.
– Does an amendment to the Constitution require the unanimous approval of the Congress and the States?
No.
Article V specifies that an amendment to the Constitution becomes valid once it has gained the vote of two-thirds of each house of Congress and three-quarters of the states. States can ratify an amendment by a vote of their legislatures or by electing special conventions, as they did in 1933 to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment by enacting the Twenty-first Amendment to end Prohibition.
– Why was the voting age lowered to eighteen?
The unpopular military draft during the Vietnam War raised the question of why men between eighteen and twenty-one were qualified to fight for their country but not to vote for the leaders who made the decisions about war and peace. The Twenty-sixth Amendment, ratified in 1971, lowered the voting age to eighteen.
– Why are filibusters allowed in the Senate but not in the House?
Under Article I, Section 5, each house of Congress can set it own rules of proceedings. The larger House, where membership reflects the population of each state, has set rules that limit how long members can speak and that reduce their opportunity to block legislation coming to a vote. The smaller Senate, where all states are equal, has set rules that give greater voice to the minority. Senators can engage in “unlimited debate,” or filibusters, in which the minority can prevent the holding of a vote where the majority would prevail. It takes three-fifths of the senators to vote closure to shut off a filibuster.
– How could Jeannette Rankin have served in Congress before the Nineteenth Amendment (women’s suffrage) was adopted?
The Constitution never prohibited women from voting or serving in public office, leaving that for the states to decide. Several western states adopted woman’s suffrage in advance of the constitutional amendment. Jeanette Rankin had been a leader in the movement to gain women’s right to vote in Montana, and in 1916, after the state changed its laws, she was elected to Congress. After 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment prohibited the states from barring women from voting.
– True or False: The preamble to the Constitution asserts that “all men are created equal.”
False
Those words appear in the preamble to the Declaration of Independence. The preamble to the Constitution makes no assertion of equality but defines government as existing to maintain peace at home, provide national defense, promote the well-being of the people and protect their liberties.
– Does the Constitution stipulate that there must be twelve jurors on every jury?
No
The Constitution simply refers to an impartial jury and does not specify how many jurors must serve. For many years, it was assumed that since the English had a tradition of twelve-person juries at the time of the Constitution was adopted, that number was required. But in Williams v. Florida (1970), the Supreme Court called twelve a “historical accident” and said that a jury’s size could vary according to the seriousness of the crime.
– True or False: The president does not have to deliver a State of the Union address in person.
True
Article II, Section 3, of the Constitution requires only that the president ”from time to time give to the Congress Information on the State of the Union.” Presidents George Washington and John Adams delivered their State of the Union addresses in person, but Thomas Jefferson discontinued the practice and simply sent a written message to Congress. Woodrow Wilson revived the practice of delivering the practice of delivering the message in person in 1913, and since then most presidents—although not all— have followed suit.
– Can a state require that candidates for office publicly declare their religious affiliation?
No
To ensure freedom of religion, Article VI of the Constitution forbids the requirement of any “religious test” as a qualification for any office or public trust. Public officials cannot be required to practice or pledge allegiance to any religion in order to hold office.
– The Twenty-fourth Amendment prohibits poll taxes in federal elections; does it also prohibit them in state election?
No
The Twenty-fourth Amendment applies only to federal elections. However, the Supreme Court in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966) decided that discrimination based on economic status violated the “equal protection clause” of the Fourteenth Amendment. As a result, poll taxes are no longer permitted in either state or federal elections.
– How does the Constitution protect the inventor of a musical instrument?
The Constitution gives Congress the right to establish copyright laws and provide patent protection for inventors and authors. Article I, Section 8, authorizes Congress “to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.” Patents are not limited to entirely new inventions but can protect inventions that perfect existing items. Thus, for example, in 1849 Charles Christman was granted a patent for a new form of flute that would improve the tone of the instrument.
– True or False: The “lame duck” amendment eliminated all lame-duck sessions in Congress.
False
However, it did away with most of them. Before the Twentieth Amendment was adopted, in 1933, the second session of every Congress, beginning on the first Monday in December, was a “lame duck” session, meeting after the next election had been held and including some members who had retired or been defeated. Originally, applied to businessmen who went bankrupt, the term lame duck came to mean olitical officeholders who were defeated.) Since the passage of the Twentieth Amendment, lame duck sessions have been held occasionally, meeting for short periods to address unfinished business. The amendment moved the opening date of Congress eleven months earlier, from December to January 3, and the beginning of a presidential term six weeks earlier, from March 4 to January 20.
– Under the Constitution, how long a term do Supreme Court justices serve?
There is no fixed term. Article III, Section 1, states that justices of the Supreme Court and other federal judges “shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour.” Justices can therefore serve for life or until they choose to retire. The only way to remove a Supreme Court justice is by impeachment in the House and conviction in the Senate. In 1803, the House of Representatives impeached Justice Samuel Chase for behaving in an “arbitrary, oppressive and unjust “ manner on the bench, but the Senate did not convict him and he served until his death in 1811.
Facts:
The Constitution was written in thePennsylvania State House where the Declaration of Independence was signed and where George Washington received his commission as Commander of the Army. It is now called Independence Hall.
Written in 1787, the Constitution was signed on September 17th, but it wasn’t until 1788 that it was ratified by the necessary nine states.
The U.S. Constitution was prepared in secret, behind locked doors that were guarded by sentries. Some framers delegates in the state ratifying conventions were very troubled that the original constitution lacked a description of individual rights. In 1791, a list of rights were added. The first ten amendments became known as The Bill of Rights.
Of the 55 delegates attending the Constitutional Convention, 39 signed and 3 delegates dissented. Two of America’s “Founding Fathers” didn’t sign. Thomas Jefferson ambassador to France & John Adams was ambassador to Great Britain.
Established on November 26, 1789, the first national “Thanksgiving Day” was created by George Washington as a way of “giving thanks” for the Constitution. The U.S. Constitution is the oldest & shortest of all the written Constitutions.
Ben Franklin (81) was the oldest delegate. Jonathon Dayton (26) was the youngest.
The original Constitution is on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, it was moved to Fort Knox for safekeeping. More than 11,000 amendments have been introduced in Congress. Thirty three have gone to the states to be ratified and twenty seven have received the necessary approval from the states to actually become amendments to the Constitution.
