Strengthen the Spirit of Virginia
Strengthen the Spirit of Virginia
Strengthen the Spirit of Virginia
Strengthen the Spirit of Virginia
By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:
Constitution Week
WHEREAS, September 17, 2022 marks the 235th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States of America; and,
WHEREAS, Virginia’s founding fathers were among the original framers of the United States Constitution which included three notable Virginians – George Washington, president of the Convention, James Madison, Jr. and John Blair, subscribers; and,
WHEREAS, Virginia’s own Declaration of Rights, authored by George Mason, was later used as a model for the first ten adopted amendments to our nation’s Constitution – becoming the Bill of Rights; and,
WHEREAS, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, one of the most important documents in early Virginia and United States history, was the driving force behind the religious clause in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that was ratified in 1791 along with the other nine amendments; and,
WHEREAS, the history, significance, and effect of the provisions in the Constitution and its amendments are essential knowledge for all citizens beginning with Virginia’s students; and,
WHEREAS, the content and concepts included in our Charters of Freedom, our founding documents, serve as a foundation for civics instruction in Virginia’ schools; and,
WHEREAS, knowledge of the sacrifices made for freedom, as well as the values on which this country was founded, is an integral part of civics and government education for our students and is vital to preparing Virginia’s youth to be responsible citizens; and,
WHEREAS, citizens of the Commonwealth are encouraged to reaffirm the ideals that the framers of the Constitution had in 1787 by vigilantly protecting our liberties and furthering the education of our young people about the importance of our Constitution and the freedoms it guarantees;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize September 17-23, 2022 as CONSTITUTION WEEK in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of our citizens.
