MOULTRIE — John Benning Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, invites the community to celebrate Constitution Week with the ringing of bells. The event will take place at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, on the front steps of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library.

During colonial and early days of our country, bells – church bells, firehouse bells, town and city hall bells – were used to call people together, to alert them to some important announcement or event. Bells called the people of Philadelphia together to hear the Declaration of Independence read publicly for the first time on July 4, 1776. Then again just over 11 years later on Sept. 17, 1787, bells were used to call the people together for the first public reading of our new Constitution.

Communities throughout the nation will be celebrating the spirit and meaning of the country’s Constitution beginning Sept. 17. On this day in 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, 39 delegates at the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution of the United States of America. Nearly 170 years later, in 1955, DAR spearheaded an effort to set aside one week annually when Americans could celebrate this iconic signing. After petitioning Congress to set aside the week of Sept. 17-23, on Aug. 2, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Constitution Week into law. Local chapters of NSDAR celebrate with many events to honor this founding document.

DAR is one of the largest nonprofit, nonpolitical, volunteer women’s service organizations in the world. DAR has more than 190,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters across the country and even in foreign countries. DAR strives to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism via commemorative events, scholarships and educational initiatives, citizenship programs, service to veterans, meaningful community service, and more. Of special interest is America 250!, America’s Semiquincentennial which will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

For additional information about DAR and its programs, contact MoultrieDAR@gmail.com.