TIFTON —
Tallassee Chapter, Daughters of American Revolution celebrated Constitution Week with a patriotic banquet featuring Sen. John D. (Dickey) Crosby as speaker. The event was held at the Tifton Conference Center Sept. 18. Special guest was Sen. Crosby’s wife, Rose.
Sen. Crosby noted that special dates, such as 1492 when Columbus first touched land in the Western Hemisphere, were hallmarks in American history. The 13 British colonies declared their independence from England in 1776, and gained their freedom from England in 1783, but it was 13 years after the Declaration of Independence that the U. S. Constitution was ratified.
Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, the right to a fair and speedy trial, freedom of religion, are some of the most cherished rights that Americans enjoy. These rights were not initially guaranteed in the Constitution, but were added Dec. 15, 1791, in the Bill of Rights, the first 10 Constitutional amendments.
When the Constitution took effect in 1789, it did not secure voting rights to all people. At the time of the first Presidential election in 1789, only 6 percent of the population was eligible to vote. Voting rights were limited to white male property owners.
The 15th Amendment extended voting rights to former male slaves in 1870. Women became eligible to vote when the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, and Native Americans gained the vote under a law passed by Congress in 1924.
Regent Liz Carson Keith presided. She led everyone in the DAR ritual, assisted by Mary Guill, Chaplain. Following dinner, Holly Bailey Hall, Constitution Week Chairman, reported on related activities during the week. These included the following:
Mayor Jamie Cater signed a proclamation declaring Constitution Week Sept. 17-23 in Tifton.
Patriotic posters were distributed.
WTIF broadcast Constitution minutes.
Chimes rang at First Baptist Church at 4 p.m. on Sept. 17, the exact time the Constitution was signed.
Tift County High School and Tiftarea Academy students studied the U.S. Constitution during the week. A special ceremony climaxed the activity at the high school.
A banner was hung across Love Avenue which called attention to Constitution Week.
Numerous churches marked Constitution Week from the pulpit.
The Constitution Week Banquet completed the events.
Bobby Fresh, Vice Regent, introduced Sen. Crosby, and Ms. Guill gave the benediction.
The next meeting will be at 11 a.m., Oct. 6, on the lawn of the Buckley Law Office, 409 Love Ave., and will be the marker dedication for the late Susie Tillman Moore, first woman elected in her own right to the Georgia Senate. Ms. Moore lived at 409 Love Avenue until her death in 1951. The public is cordially invited to participate in the marker dedication.
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