Bonnie Raff as Martha Washington at today's Hope Lion's Club meeting. Photo by Mark Ross.
The week's guest speaker at the regular Hope Lions Club meeting today at noon was Bonnie Raff of the John Cain chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She announced that she was portraying Martha Washington and since the meeting was indoors, she was removing her bonnet. She said her husband George was absent attending the Constitution Convention. So to follow up on Constitution month, she brought with her several questions to ask of Lions and guests at the various tables in the room. (Some even stumped this holder of a Ph.D. in American Literature.)
Among those:
What state was not represented at the Constitutional Convention?
Who was the first person to sign the U.S. Constitution?
Who took notes during the Constitutional Convention?
Where is the original of the Constitution currently held?
How many amendments have been made to the Constitution?
How many delegates signed the Constitution?
What person was too weak to sign the Constitution and had to be carried every day by prisoners to the meeting house?
What is the highest law of land in the United States?
Answers: 1. Rhode Island, 2. George Washington, 3. James Madison, 4. the National Archives in Washington, D.C. 5. 27. 6. 39. 7. Benjamin Franklin 8. the U.S. Constitution.
Raff began her presentation by explaining what the goal of the Daughters of the American Revolution are. "One is historic preservation to keep things that are old and important and in good shape, so they can stay alive. The second one is patriotism. We do whatever we can for flying our flags every day of the year and at all important events. And the third one is education. And so I'm here for patriotism, and education," Raff said.
She then remarked that often those who have earned Green Cards are more knowledgeable than native born citizens interviewed in reporter-on-the-street footage. "So I think before we lose our Constitution, we better know what we are doing," Raff said, then proceeded to ask a group of questions that included those above, only four of which this writer knew the answers to.