[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 181 (Tuesday, September 18, 2012)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 57983-57984]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-23187]



[[Page 57981]]

Vol. 77

Tuesday,

No. 181

September 18, 2012

Part VI





The President





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Proclamation 8862--Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, Constitution 
Week, 2012
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  Federal Register / Vol. 77 , No. 181 / Tuesday, September 18, 2012 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 57983]]

                Proclamation 8862 of September 13, 2012

                
Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, 
                Constitution Week, 2012

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Today, we celebrate our heritage as a country bound 
                together by fidelity to a set of ideas and a system of 
                governance first laid out in America's Constitution. 
                The product of fierce debate and enduring compromise, 
                our Nation's Constitution has guided our progress from 
                13 to 50 United States that stretch from sea to shining 
                sea. It has watched over our growth from a fragile 
                experiment in democracy to a beacon of freedom that 
                lights the world. It has vested in each of us the power 
                to appeal to principles that could broaden democracy's 
                reach.

                As we mark this 225th anniversary of the signing of our 
                Constitution, we also recognize the candidates for 
                citizenship who will commemorate this day by joining 
                our American family. For more than two centuries, our 
                country has drawn enterprising men and women from 
                around the world--individuals who have sought to build 
                a life as good as their talents and their hard work 
                would allow. Generations have crossed land and ocean 
                because of the belief that, in America, all things are 
                possible. As a new group of citizens takes an oath to 
                support and defend our country's oldest principles, we 
                affirm another truth: that our American journey and our 
                success would never have been possible without the 
                hope, the drive, and the irrepressible optimism that 
                every generation of immigrants has brought to our 
                shores. Across our country, Americans are working side-
                by-side with our Nation's newest citizens to build 
                strong, welcoming communities that embrace the talents 
                and contributions of all their members.

                This week, we reflect on the basic rights and 
                responsibilities of citizenship, the founding documents 
                from which they were drawn, and the extraordinary 
                legacy of progress they have enabled. Let us forever 
                uphold the ideals the Framers enshrined in our 
                Constitution, and let us never cease in our pursuit of 
                the more perfect Union they imagined so many years ago.

                In remembrance of the signing of the Constitution and 
                in recognition of the Americans who strive to uphold 
                the duties and responsibilities of citizenship, the 
                Congress, by joint resolution of February 29, 1952 (36 
                U.S.C. 106), designated September 17 as ``Constitution 
                Day and 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, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 
                17, 2012, as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and 
                September 17 through September 23, 2012, 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 bring together community members to 
                reflect on the importance of active citizenship, 
                recognize the enduring strength of our Constitution, 
                and reaffirm our commitment to the rights and 
                obligations of citizenship in this great Nation.

[[Page 57984]]

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

[FR Doc. 2012-23187
Filed 9-17-12; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F2-P