September 17 proclaimed Constitution Day in Union County

BLAIRSVILLE, Ga – Constitution Day will be observed on September 17th with Constitution Week to last until September 23rd.

“On this day in 1787, the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution of the United States of America. With this proclamation, we’re giving official recognition to this document and the anniversary of its signing,” read Sole Commissioner Lamar Paris from the proclamation. “I ask the citizens of Union County to reaffirm the ideas the framers of the Constitution had in 1787 by vigilantly protecting the freedoms guaranteed to us through this guardian

of our liberties.”
Two members of the Sons of the American Revolution, Jared Ogden and James Cook, dressed in full regalia, received the proclamation from Commissioner Paris.

The Blue Ridge Mountain Chapter of the Georgia Society Sons of the American Revolution President Jared Ogden expressed his appreciation, especially during these times.

“With the backlash against authority, against peace, against prosperity basically, we feel that reaffirming the purposes and principles of the Constitution are so critical, especially now,” said Ogden.

A school in Iowa first recognized Constitution Day in 1911, and in 1917, the Sons of the American Revolution began a committee to promote the holiday. The committee included President Calvin Coolidge, John D. Rockefeller, and General John Pershing as members.

In 1940, Congress created “I am American” Day, which was held on the third Sunday in May to celebrate citizenship. In 1952, Congress moved “I am American” Day to September 17th and renamed it Citizenship Day.

The present holiday came into being in 2004 as an amendment to a spending bill. It renamed Citizenship Day as Constitution and Citizenship Day. The law also mandates that all public schools and federal agencies offer programming on Constitutional history on that day.