HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw signed a patriotic proclamation, encouraging Towns County citizens to reaffirm their support of the United States Constitution, by understanding and vigilantly guarding the American liberties guaranteed in the founding document.

The proclamation was presented to Commissioner Bradshaw by Towns County Old Unicoi Chapter, Daughters of the Revolution, Co-Chairs Beverly Shreeve and Shelli Kelly in annual commemoration of Constitution Week, which falls Sept. 17 -23, 2018.

Founded in 1890, the Daughters of the American Revolution advocate historical preservation, education, and patriotism within communities. Membership is open to women over the age of 18, regardless of race, religion or ethnic background, who can trace ancestral lineage to a patriot who served in the American Revolution.

Towns County Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw

“As an American, the Constitution is everything to me,” Bradshaw told FYN, “What would we be without it, where would we go in the future? An understanding of it, of its importance, is significant and something that we should know. As Americans, it’s essential for us to understand our foundation. In order to know where we are headed, we need to understand from where we came.  The Constitution may be a centuries old document, but it’s as relevant today as it was when it was created.”

The United States Constitution was signed on Sept. 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention. The original document is located in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building in Washington D.C.

“The framers created a Constitution that translated into law the ideals upon which our nation was built,” Old Unicoi Trail Chapter Regent Annette Bomar Hopgood explained, “Their vision was so forward thinking that their words still guide us today. No American history education can be complete without a thorough understanding of the impact the Constitution has had on the lives of American citizens, past and present.”

Displays commemorating Constitution Week will be featured at the Towns County and Mountain Regional Libraries, and pocket editions of the U.S. Constitution will be made available to local American History and U.S. Government high school classes. Towns County 4th graders will be offered educational bookmarks from the organization.

Old Unicoi Trail Chapter meets at Mountain Presbyterian Church in Blairsville on the second Saturday of the month, September through December, and February through April, at 10:30 a.m.

The September meeting will feature Dale Dyer, a local historian.

For additional information on the Old Unicoi Trail Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, contact [email protected]