Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Did You Know It's US Constitution Week?

Preamble 
to the US Constitution
While visiting the Spencer Road Branch of my county's library yesterday, I was greeted by two friendly women dressed in colonial period costumes. Of course, that got my attention.

The women stood in front of a decorative display with a copy of the US Constitution available for visitors to sign. They told me they were members of the Daughters of the American Revolution and informed me that September 17-23 is US Constitution Week. I didn't know that!

They told me they were relatives of veterans who fought in the Revolutionary War.

I mentioned that several years ago I wrote a script about George Gatty, one of the veterans of the American Revolution, for the All Saints Cemetery walk.

The women told me they are attempting to locate gravesites of veterans of the Revolutionary War, so I told them where George is buried.

After I signed my name on their copy of the Constitution, they handed me a small copy of it, along with an American flag, and a bookmark with the Preamble to the US Constitution on it. There's a not-very-clear photo of the bookmark above.

I remember being required to memorize the Preamble and recite it in front of the class many years ago.

If you can't read the copy, here's what it says:

"WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Do you remember being required to memorize the Preamble and recite it? One thing I do remember is that I was nervous, even though I practiced it several times, and I didn't understand some of the words I recited, like domestic tranquility and posterity.

Do you still remember the Preamble by heart?

7 comments:

  1. Donna--I never had to memorize the Preamble. We did have geography bees where we were required to memorize national capitals. I was horrid at it. ;)

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  2. I did have to memorize the Preamble, and the Gettysburg Address, and more. I went to a country grade school in Illinois where we recited the Pledge of Allegiance every day too. And learned all those state capitals (I've forgotten at least half of them). I have to admit I had to read the Preamble through to refresh my memory, but then it all came back to me. I do wish kids still had to learn more about these things in grade school today. It didn't damage my psyche to memorize stuff or study the constitution, both national and state.

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  3. Our school never required memorizing the Preamble. I did memorize the Gettysburg address just because I wanted to. Hmm. . . I could memorize the Preamble now!

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  4. Hi Sioux,
    Ah, those pesky state capitals. I always got North and South Dakota mixed up.

    Hi Patricia,
    The Gettysburg Address is one of the greatest pieces of literature in the English language.

    Hi Clara,
    I read somewhere that President Lincoln jotted down the Gettysburg address just before giving it.

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  5. I do remember memorizing the Preamble, and some poetry pieces too.

    Our library is so cool!

    Pat
    www.patwahler.com

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    Replies
    1. Our library is cool. I recently read they can process passports too.

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  6. That is so cool! Having my signature on the Constitution - wonderful idea!

    ReplyDelete

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