[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 525 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 525

  Designating September 2018 as National Democracy Month as a time to 
reflect on the contributions of the system of government of the United 
                States to a more free and stable world.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 24, 2018

 Mr. Grassley (for himself and Mrs. Feinstein) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Designating September 2018 as National Democracy Month as a time to 
reflect on the contributions of the system of government of the United 
                States to a more free and stable world.

Whereas, 2,000 years after the ancient Greeks laid the groundwork for democracy, 
        the founders of the United States built an even greater system of 
        government, a democratic republic, propelling the United States to 
        become the most advanced nation in human history;
Whereas the model of government of the United States has been reproduced around 
        the world;
Whereas, according to Freedom House, despite the expansion of democracy 
        worldwide, today more than 1 in 3 people in the world do not live in 
        states considered free;
Whereas the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights, with the 
        addition of the Reconstruction Era amendments, including the 14th and 
        15th Amendments, and the 19th Amendment, enshrine the rights and civil 
        liberties of citizens of the United States, including the right to vote 
        in free and fair elections;
Whereas the perpetuation of the ideals of democracy does not happen on its own, 
        and can be stalled or reversed;
Whereas surveys show that citizens of the United States are losing faith in the 
        democratic system;
Whereas, according to a study published in the Journal of Democracy--

    (1) 91 percent of young people in the United States in the 1930s 
thought it ``essential'' to live in a democracy;

    (2) only 30 percent of young people in the United States in 2018 think 
that it is ``essential'' to live in a democracy; and

    (3) 24 percent of young people in the United States in 2018 think that 
democracy is a ``bad'' or ``very bad'' way of running the country;

Whereas Freedom House concluded that ``Democracy as the world's dominant form of 
        government is under greater threat than at any point in the last 25 
        years'';
Whereas former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said ``The practice of 
        democracy is not passed down through the gene pool. It must be taught 
        and learned anew by each generation of citizens'';
Whereas President John F. Kennedy said ``Democracy is never a final achievement. 
        It is a call to effort, to sacrifice, and a willingness to live and to 
        die in its defense'';
Whereas President Ronald Reagan said ``Democracy is worth dying for, because 
        it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man'';
Whereas World War II demonstrated the fragility of democracy and its 
        accompanying civilized life;
Whereas British Prime Minister Winston Churchill observed that ``Democracy is 
        the worst form of government, except for all the others that have ever 
        been tried'';
Whereas President George Washington said the United States must recognize the 
        immense value of the national Union and work towards its preservation 
        with ``jealous anxiety'' and wrote that the security of a free 
        Constitution may be accomplished by ``teaching the people themselves to 
        know and to value their own rights'';
Whereas President Thomas Jefferson wrote ``Educate and inform the whole mass of 
        the people . . . . They are the only sure reliance for the preservation 
        of our liberty''; and
Whereas evidence of the diminution of strong support for democratic principles 
        in recent years among citizens of the United States suggests the 
        government of the United States must once more teach and educate the 
        people by taking appropriate actions to highlight and emphasize the 
        importance of democratic principles and their essential role in our 
        freedoms and way of life: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates September 2018 as ``National Democracy 
        Month'';
            (2) encourages States and local governments to designate 
        September 2018 as ``National Democracy Month'';
            (3) recognizes the celebration of ``National Democracy 
        Month'' as a time to reflect on the contributions of the system 
        of government of the United States to a more free and stable 
        world; and
            (4) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        ``National Democracy Month'' with appropriate ceremonies and 
        activities that--
                    (A) provide appreciation for the system of 
                government of the United States; and
                    (B) demonstrate that the people of the United 
                States shall never forget the sacrifices made by past 
                generations of people of the United States to preserve 
                the freedoms and principles of the United States.
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