[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 150 (Monday, September 19, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4825-S4826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 774--DESIGNATING SEPTEMBER 2022 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

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

                              S. Res. 774

       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 Presidents Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln 
     described democracy, respectively, as the ``light that led us 
     out of gothic darkness'' and the ``last best hope'' of 
     humankind;
       Whereas, according to Freedom House, 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, including the addition of the Reconstruction Era 
     amendments, enshrine the rights and civil liberties of 
     citizens of the United States, including the right to vote in 
     free and fair elections;

[[Page S4826]]

       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 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 untiring effort, 
     to continual sacrifice and to the willingness, if necessary, 
     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 Congressman John R. Lewis said, in his final words 
     to the United States, ``Democracy is not a state. It is an 
     act, and each generation must do its part to help build what 
     we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society 
     at peace with itself.'';
       Whereas World War II demonstrated the fragility of 
     democracy and the civilized life that accompanies democracy;
       Whereas British Prime Minister Winston Churchill observed 
     that, ``Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst 
     form of Government except for all those other forms that have 
     been tried from time to time. . ..'';
       Whereas President George Washington said the United States 
     must recognize the immense value of the national Union and 
     work towards preservation of that Union 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 the Government of the United States must teach and 
     educate the people by taking appropriate actions to highlight 
     and emphasize the importance of democratic principles and the 
     essential role of democratic principles in the freedoms and 
     way of life enjoyed by the people of the United States: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates September 2022 as ``National Democracy 
     Month'';
       (2) encourages States and local governments to designate 
     September 2022 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.

                          ____________________