[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 236 (Wednesday, December 9, 2015)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 76625-76626]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31221]



[[Page 76623]]

Vol. 80

Wednesday,

No. 236

December 9, 2015

Part II





The President





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Proclamation 9378--150th Anniversary of the 13th Amendment



Proclamation 9379--National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 2015
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  Federal Register / Vol. 80 , No. 236 / Wednesday, December 9, 2015 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Proclamation 9378 of December 4, 2015

                
150th Anniversary of the 13th Amendment

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On December 6, 1865, a coalition comprising three-
                quarters of our Nation's States ratified the 13th 
                Amendment to our Constitution, abolishing slavery in 
                the United States and affirming the truth that no union 
                founded on the principles of liberty and equality could 
                survive half-slave and half-free. Bringing to a close 
                one of the most painful chapters in our country's 
                history, the Amendment ushered in a new birth of 
                freedom. Today, we celebrate it for the protections it 
                restored and the lives it liberated, and in honor of 
                the millions of slaves who endured brutal violence and 
                daily indignities, we rededicate ourselves to the 
                proposition manifested in its ratification.

                This Amendment to the Constitution came not only at the 
                culmination of years of Civil War, but also as a result 
                of courageous individuals advocating and agitating for 
                an America in which slavery was no longer an 
                institution of society. President Lincoln gave his last 
                full measure of devotion to the cause he would not live 
                to see codified. He knew the basic rights he sought for 
                slaves could only be secured by a whole and unified 
                Government, and he pursued reconciliation while 
                remaining fierce in his conviction. Volunteers along 
                the Underground Railroad aided slaves seeking freedom, 
                providing safety and comfort in the midst of deep 
                anguish. And soldiers who fought, sometimes against 
                their own sisters and brothers, did so for both the 
                preservation of our Union and liberty itself. The 13th 
                Amendment was the product of generations of men and 
                women who, through centuries of bloodshed and systemic 
                oppression, stayed true to their belief in what America 
                could be and kept marching toward justice.

                The courage to change that sustained the abolitionist 
                movement carried forth in a long line of heroes who 
                followed--individuals who loved our country profoundly 
                and answered the patriotic call to push it to expand 
                the boundaries of freedom. From ordinary women stepping 
                into an extraordinary role, bravely fighting for their 
                right to participate in our democracy, to a coalition 
                of conscience that marched on our Nation's Capital and 
                protested for equality, the last century and a half has 
                been defined by those who stood resolute in keeping lit 
                the flame that burned in the hearts of all those 
                determined to secure what they knew to be their God-
                given rights.

                Today, we continue the long journey toward an America 
                and a world where liberty and equality are not reserved 
                for some, but extended to all. Across the globe, 
                including right here at home, millions of men, women, 
                and children are victims of human trafficking and 
                modern-day slavery. We remain committed to abolishing 
                slavery in all its forms and draw strength from the 
                courage and resolve of generations past.

                One hundred and fifty years after the 13th Amendment's 
                ratification, the United States endures, and though the 
                scourge of slavery is a stain on our history, we remain 
                a people not trapped by the mistakes of our past, but 
                one that can look at our imperfections with humility 
                and decide it is within our power to remake our Nation 
                to more closely align with our highest ideals. On this 
                historic occasion, let us pay tribute to those who 
                suffered for too long and to those who risked 
                everything to make this

[[Page 76626]]

                country better. With unyielding determination to stand 
                on their shoulders and reach for an even freer and more 
                equal tomorrow, we can honor them with the recognition 
                and respect worthy of their extraordinary contributions 
                to our country.

                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 December 6, 2015, as 
                the 150th Anniversary of the 13th Amendment. I call 
                upon the people of the United States to observe this 
                day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and 
                activities that celebrate the 13th Amendment.

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

[FR Doc. 2015-31221
Filed 12-8-15; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F6-P