[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 17, 2001)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 19845-19846]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-9675]



[[Page 19843]]

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Part III





The President





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Proclamation 7426--Thomas Jefferson Day, 2001
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  Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 74 / Tuesday, April 17, 2001 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 19845]]

                Proclamation 7426 of April 12, 2001

                
Thomas Jefferson Day, 2001

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Our Nation's Founding Fathers overcame enormous 
                obstacles to establish a system of government unequaled 
                in history. We are the beneficiaries of their 
                sacrifice, courage, and honor. But among these 
                legendary patriots, Thomas Jefferson remains unique as 
                the one who articulated the essential values and 
                principles of American liberty and freedom. Today, we 
                gather here to celebrate the birthday of Thomas 
                Jefferson and to reflect on his enduring contributions 
                to the United States and the world.

                Few Americans have shaped our collective destiny as 
                thoroughly and as originally as Thomas Jefferson. His 
                achievements are breathtaking in their scope and 
                diversity. Beyond his achievements in public life as 
                Governor of Virginia, author of the Statute of Virginia 
                for Religious Freedom, Secretary of State, third 
                President of the United States, and founder of the 
                University of Virginia, Jefferson was a scholar, 
                author, naturalist, inventor, bibliophile, and 
                architect.

                As President, Jefferson supported the Lewis and Clark 
                expedition and concluded the $15 million purchase of 
                the Louisiana Territory from France. He sold his 
                personal library to the Library of Congress to replace 
                its collection destroyed by the British in the War of 
                1812.

                Thomas Jefferson's crowning achievement, however, was 
                the Declaration of Independence. As its primary author, 
                Jefferson drafted an immortal document that altered the 
                way the world viewed the relationship between 
                government and the governed. Jefferson's assertion of 
                ``inalienable rights'' including ``life, liberty, and 
                the pursuit of happiness'' established the democratic 
                standard by which our Nation would measure itself. Many 
                other nations and peoples likewise strive to measure up 
                to the standard set forth in the Declaration of 
                Independence.

                Thomas Jefferson's words are as thrilling and inspiring 
                in 2001 as they must have been to his revolutionary 
                allies in 1776. Our Nation has changed, our technology 
                has progressed, but our basic love for liberty and 
                freedom remains the same. As proud Americans, we must 
                work together to maintain the vigor and strength of 
                Jefferson's vision and to fulfill its promise of a 
                better life for all our citizens. Doing this is our 
                responsibility, and our gift, to the man who laid the 
                foundation for what became the freest nation in the 
                world.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States of America, do hereby proclaim April 13, 2001, 
                as Thomas Jefferson Day. I encourage all Americans to 
                join in this celebration of Thomas Jefferson's 
                achievements, and to learn more about his unique 
                influence on our history, traditions, and values.

[[Page 19846]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twelfth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand one, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 01-9675
Filed 4-16-01; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P