[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 19, 2001)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 48319-48320]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-23621]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 182 / Wednesday, September 19, 2001 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 48319]]


                Proclamation 7466 of September 17, 2001

                
Citizenship Day and Constitution Week, 2001

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                As the delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention 
                in Philadelphia began working on what would become the 
                United States Constitution, they grasped that a great 
                democracy must be built on the twin foundations of 
                national consent to a Federal Government and respect 
                for individual rights. After more than two centuries of 
                continual cultural, legal, and economic change, our 
                unique experiment in self-government has borne 
                successful witness to the prescient genius and timeless 
                wisdom of our Founding Fathers. Throughout America's 
                history, in times of turmoil and peace, liberty and 
                oppression, our faith in the Constitution's promise of 
                freedom and democracy has been a steadfast rock of 
                national stability against the raging seas of political 
                change. Today, in the face of the terrorist attacks of 
                September 11, 2001, we must call upon, more than ever, 
                the Constitutional principles that make our country 
                great.

                In creating our Nation's Constitutional framework, the 
                Convention's delegates recognized the dangers inherent 
                in concentrating too much power in one person, branch, 
                or institution. They wisely crafted a Government that 
                balanced the functions and authority of a Federal 
                system among three separate but equal branches: the 
                Executive, the Legislative, and the Judicial. As a 
                further check on central power, the Framers granted 
                citizens the right to vote, giving them the power to 
                express their political preferences peacefully and 
                thereby to effect change in the Government.

                The Convention delegates ratified the Constitution on 
                September 17, 1787, and submitted it to the States for 
                approval. After much deliberation and discussion at the 
                State level, the following two concerns emerged from 
                among those who feared the Constitution's proposed 
                centralization of Federal power: (1) the threat of 
                tyranny; and (2) the loss of local control. To address 
                these fears, our Founders amended the Constitution by 
                adding a Bill of Rights. These ten amendments provided 
                a series of clear limits on Federal power and a litany 
                of protective rights to citizens. This development 
                underscored the important and enduring Constitutional 
                principle of enumerated powers, and it set our national 
                course on a route that would eventually enhance and 
                expand individual rights and liberties.

                Today, our Nation celebrates not only the longest-lived 
                written Constitution in world history, but also the 
                enduring commitment of our forebears who upheld the 
                Constitution's core principles through the travails of 
                American history. They pursued a more perfect Union as 
                abolitionists, as suffragists, or as civil rights 
                activists, successfully seeking Constitutional 
                amendments that have strengthened the protections 
                provided to all Americans under law. In so doing, they 
                rendered the moral resolve of our Nation stronger and 
                clearer.

                Our Republic would surely founder but for the faith and 
                confidence that we collectively place in our 
                Constitution. And it could not prosper without our 
                diligent commitment to upholding the Constitution's 
                original words and implementing its founding 
                principles. From the noble efforts of public servants 
                to the civic acts of local people, our continuous 
                Constitutional

[[Page 48320]]

                engagement has proved to be an exceptional feature of 
                our Nation's prosperous development.

                To continue this legacy, each of us must recognize that 
                we bear a solemn responsibility to promote the ideals 
                of freedom and opportunity throughout our land. We each 
                should serve our Nation by actively supporting and 
                shaping our Government's institutions, by working 
                together to build strong communities, and by loving our 
                neighbors. Doing this will ensure that the American 
                dream will become real for every willing citizen; and, 
                in fulfilling this call together, we will honor the 
                spirit of our powerful and enduring Constitution.

                The Congress, by joint resolution of February 29, 1952 
                (36 U.S.C. 106), designated September 17 as 
                ``Citizenship Day,'' and by joint resolution of August 
                2, 1956 (36 U.S.C. 108), requested that the President 
                proclaim the week beginning September 17 and ending 
                September 23 of each year as ``Constitution Week.''

                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, do hereby proclaim September 17, 2001, as 
                Citizenship Day and September 17 through September 23, 
                2001, as Constitution Week. I encourage Federal, State, 
                and local officials, as well as leaders of civic, 
                social, and educational organizations, to conduct 
                ceremonies and programs that celebrate our Constitution 
                and reaffirm our commitment as citizens of our great 
                Nation.

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

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 01-23621
Filed 09-18-01; 12:17 pm]
Billing code 3195-01-P