[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 60 (Tuesday, March 30, 2010)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 15601-15602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-7240]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 60 / Tuesday, March 30, 2010 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 15601]]

                Proclamation

                
Greek Independence Day: a National Day of 
                Celebration of Greek And American Democracy, 2010

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Today, as we commemorate the 189th anniversary of 
                Greece's independence, we reaffirm the ties that link 
                our nations together as allies and warm friends. We 
                also honor the accomplishments of Greek Americans and 
                their immeasurable contributions to the United States.

                It was the genius of America's forebears to enshrine 
                the pre-eminent idea of democracy in our Nation's 
                founding documents. Inspired by the governing values of 
                ancient Greece, they launched the great American 
                experiment. Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of 
                our Declaration of Independence, later expressed his 
                admiration for the Greeks and their heritage as they 
                fought their War of Independence. Writing in 1823, he 
                acknowledged Greece as ``the first of civilized 
                nations, [which] presented examples of what man should 
                be.''

                The Hellenic influence on America's scholarly 
                traditions reflects our Nation's high regard for 
                Greece's lasting heritage. Our physicians uphold the 
                timeless ethics of Hippocrates, and our students learn 
                the mathematics of Euclid and Pythagoras. Our law 
                schools use the Socratic Method, and the structures of 
                ancient Greece have inspired many of our most cherished 
                buildings and monuments. Greek Americans have also 
                shaped our Nation as leaders in every sector of 
                American life, and their community has strengthened the 
                fabric of our country with its vibrant culture and 
                unique traditions.

                Above all, we were blessed to inherit the Hellenic 
                ideal of democracy, which lives on today in Greece and 
                America, and reinforces the enduring bonds between our 
                two nations.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim March 25, 2010, as 
                ``Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration 
                of Greek and American Democracy.'' I call upon all the 
                people of the United States to observe this day with 
                appropriate ceremonies and activities.

[[Page 15602]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2010-7240
Filed 3-29-10; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-W0-P