[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 73 (Friday, April 15, 1994)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 18289-18290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 93-9360]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 15, 1994]




                        Presidential Documents 



                Proclamation 6669 of April 13, 1994

 

251st Anniversary of the Birth of Thomas 
                Jefferson

                By the President of the United States of America

                 A Proclamation

                ``I am certainly not an advocate for frequent and 
                untried changes in laws and constitutions,'' Thomas 
                Jefferson once wrote, ``But . . . laws and institutions 
                must go hand in hand with the progress of the human 
                mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, 
                as new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and 
                manners and opinions change . . . institutions must 
                advance also, and keep pace with the times.''

                These words have challenged and inspired the countless 
                millions who have come to America's capital and have 
                seen them inscribed on the marble wall of the Jefferson 
                Memorial. Jefferson's statue presides nobly over 
                America's capital city, a steadfast and enduring 
                reminder of the democratic government that he helped to 
                found. Yet unlike his unchanging visage, our 
                democracy's institutions have proved to be remarkably 
                agile in governing, maturing as society has progressed, 
                evolving as human knowledge and technology have 
                advanced--far beyond Jefferson's imagining. Of all the 
                truths Jefferson knew to be self-evident, of all the 
                freedoms he held dear, this understanding of the need 
                for political and social innovation is perhaps his most 
                lasting gift. He helped to endow us with the freedom to 
                embrace change.

                As we complete the year celebrating the 250th 
                anniversary of his birth, it is entirely fitting that 
                we again pause to reflect upon both the contradictions 
                of Jefferson's life and the meaning of his legacy. Far 
                from the sculpted perfection of his statue, Jefferson 
                acknowledged, even anguished about, his failings as a 
                leader. In expressing his fervent hope that we would 
                one day purge the evil of slavery from our land, he 
                wrote, ``I tremble for my country when I reflect that 
                God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever.'' 
                Despite his flaws, Jefferson imbued us with his 
                powerful faith that justice would ultimately transcend 
                our seeming inability to do what we know is right. And 
                I believe he would rejoice to know how far America has 
                come toward winning equal justice under law.

                In the United States, we must constantly relearn his 
                teaching that change is both an inevitable and 
                essential part of safeguarding our precious freedoms. 
                We recognize, as he did in his day, that our democracy 
                must continue to develop, that we must shape our 
                politics and policies to meet the rapidly shifting 
                needs of our people and to embrace the better angels of 
                our nature. On this day, we remember that our Nation is 
                an ongoing experiment, a new and fragile spirit, 
                requiring our eternal care and vigilance if it is to 
                continue to grow and prosper and shine.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim Wednesday, April 13, 1994, 
                as the 251st Anniversary of the Birth of Thomas 
                Jefferson. I encourage all Americans to reflect upon 
                his words and deeds and to rededicate themselves to 
                making our Nation one of which he would be proud. 
                Additionally, I call upon the people of the United 
                States to observe this occasion with appropriate 
                programs, ceremonies, and activities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-four, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and eighteenth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)>

[FR Doc. 93-9360
Filed 4-14-94; 11:11 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P