The Richard Dobbs Spaight Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will be celebrating Constitution Week from September 17 – 23. This year will mark the 67th year the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) will celebrate Constitution Week. This is the 235th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution and the 231st anniversary of the Bill of Rights.
Did you know that New Bern has some special ties to the Constitution of the United States? As a matter of fact, there are two special New Bern natives that have special ties to the Constitution, the first being Richard Dobbs Spaight. Richard Dobbs Spaight was born in New Bern. He was one of the five North Carolina delegates that attended the Constitutional Convention. Not only did he attend the Constitutional Convention, but he also was one of the three North Carolina delegates that signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787.
After signing the Constitution, Spaight returned to North Carolina to campaign for the ratification of the Constitution of the United States. In 1788, North Carolina held the Hillsborough Convention to debate the ratification of the Constitution. After much debate, the delegates voted not to ratify the Constitution. They decided the Constitution was lacking a Bill of Rights for individuals. The delegates drafted a list of rights and suggested amendments to the document. They sent this list out to the states. North Carolina held a second convention in Fayetteville, North Carolina in November 1789. By this time, there was a Bill of Rights that had been added to the Constitution. The Bill of Rights were sent out to the states for ratification in August 1789. With this in mind, the delegates voted to ratify the Constitution on November 21, 1789. With the ratification of the Constitution, North Carolina became the 12th state to join the Union.
So, what is another tie New Bern has to the Constitution? Did you know that a New Bern native proposed Constitution Week? In 1955, the President General of the DAR, New Bern’s very own Gertrude S. Carraway, adopted a project to promote the observance of the U.S. Constitution with a memorial week beginning on the anniversary of the signing of this document, September 17. If you have traveled around New Bern, you have probably heard of the many contributions Gertrude Carraway has made in New Bern. Ms. Carraway was instrumental in the restoration of Tryon Palace. She established the historical markers in North Carolina. There is a memorial garden named after her behind the Waystation for Tryon Palace because of the contributions she made to restoration efforts. Ms. Carraway believed in preserving history and educating the community. Whenever you keep in mind her general outlook, it is not surprising she would want to undertake a project to promote the observance of the U.S. Constitution.
Under the leadership of Ms. Carraway, the DAR petitioned the U.S. Congress to dedicate September 17 -23 of each year to the commemoration of Constitution Week. Congress adopted the resolution, and on August 2, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into Public Law #915. The celebration’s goals are threefold: to encourage the study of the historical events that led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787; to remind the public that the Constitution is the basis of America’s great heritage and the foundation for its way of life; and to emphasize U.S. citizens’ responsibility to protect, defend and preserve the U.S. Constitution.
On September 17, 1787, 42 delegates gathered in the Pennsylvania State House for the final day of the Constitutional Convention. Thirty-nine of the 42 delegates signed the Constitution of the United States. As the delegates were leaving the Pennsylvania State House at 4:00 p.m., bells were rung in town to signify the signing of the Constitution. The Richard Dobbs Spaight Chapter will be holding a traditional Ringing of the Bells Ceremony on September 17 at 4:00 p.m. at the Harrison Center in Downtown New Bern. We invite you to join us in celebrating the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution by ringing a bell at 4:00 p.m. on September 17.
In addition to the Ringing of the Bells ceremony, we will be hosting another Constitution Week Bear Hunt. We invite everyone to get out and walk around downtown New Bern during Constitution Week. While you are walking around, you can test your Constitution IQ. Be on the hunt for the Downtown Bears that have a special Constitution Week sign with a trivia question about the Constitution. Do you think you will be able to get all of the questions right? Do you need to brush up on your Constitution history? How many questions can you answer before scanning the QR Code for the answer? Who in your group was able to answer the most questions? We hope you have fun while learning with friends and family during your Constitution Week Bear Hunt. We would like to thank the businesses that are allowing us to include their Downtown Bears in the hunt: City of New Bern, Courtyard by Marriott, Chestnut & Clemmons Law Firm, Excel Learning Center, New Bern Convention Center, William Hand III Dentistry, Robinson & Stith Insurance, New Bern Historical Society, Sumrell and Sugg Law Firm, New Bern Farmer’s Market, the Cub House, United Bank, and Crema Brew. The Downtown Bears will be asking their special Constitution Week trivia questions until October 2.
Unfortunately, the COVID 19 pandemic is still flourishing this year and we still will not be able to visit the local elementary schools. Traditionally, the Richard Dobbs Spaight Chapter visited the local elementary schools and provided a program to the students about the U.S. Constitution. For the third year, we have supplied information to the schools electronically so the teachers will be able to share information with their students. We have tried to emphasize the ties New Bern has to the Constitution. Our chapter will also provide poster-sized copies of the Constitution, pocket Constitution books, and chapter books about the Constitution to some of the schools. In addition to sharing information with the schools, we will be hosting a table at the New Bern Farmer’s Market so we can provide information to the general public. Please stop by and see us at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday, September 10, 2022 between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
By Nikki Gonzalez