[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 240 (Friday, December 13, 2019)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 68323-68324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-27106]



[[Page 68321]]

Vol. 84

Friday,

No. 240

December 13, 2019

Part III





The President





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Proclamation 9972--Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human 
Rights Week, 2019
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  Federal Register / Vol. 84 , No. 240 / Friday, December 13, 2019 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Proclamation 9972 of December 9, 2019

                
Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human 
                Rights Week, 2019

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Nearly two and a half centuries ago, American colonists 
                broke free of a tyrannical monarchy and rose from the 
                shadow of oppression, creating a new Republic 
                predicated on liberty and the rule of law. Innate to 
                the identity of this new Nation was a revolutionary 
                commitment to the preservation of individual rights. 
                The Framers drafted a Constitution that would ensure 
                the God-given rights of the people. Nevertheless, some 
                of them believed more was needed and insisted upon the 
                enumeration of a set of rights that would be protected 
                from government interference. As a result, the United 
                States ratified 10 Amendments to our Constitution, 
                known as the Bill of Rights. On this day, we pay 
                tribute to these profound protections provided to all 
                Americans, and we reaffirm our commitment to 
                safeguarding them.

                James Madison, the ``Father of the Constitution,'' was 
                once a skeptic of the need for a Bill of Rights, 
                pondering whether such ``parchment barriers'' could 
                prevent government intrusion on our liberty. After some 
                persuasion from his friend Thomas Jefferson, however, 
                Madison eventually supported the adoption of the Bill 
                of Rights to achieve the compromise necessary to ratify 
                the Constitution. Jefferson famously wrote to Madison: 
                ``A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to 
                against every government on earth, general or 
                particular, and what no just government should refuse 
                or rest on inference.'' In the 228 years since the 
                adoption of the Bill of Rights, it has continuously 
                served as the guarantor of some of our most cherished 
                freedoms: the right to practice the religion we choose, 
                the right to speak freely and openly, the right to 
                privacy, and the right to keep and bear arms.

                Since taking office, I have worked to confine 
                government authority to its proper, constitutional 
                scope. In May of 2017, I signed an Executive Order 
                defending religious freedom and freedom of speech to 
                better protect the First Amendment rights of all 
                Americans. I signed another Executive Order in March to 
                promote free speech on college campuses, protecting 
                free inquiry and open debate at universities across the 
                country. These orders recognize that freedom of speech 
                is a fundamental right that must always be guarded 
                vigilantly.

                Underlying our Bill of Rights is the understanding that 
                all human beings are endowed with certain inalienable 
                rights and that it is the duty of every government to 
                protect these rights. On December 10, 1948, inspired by 
                the Bill of Rights, the United Nations General Assembly 
                adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This 
                historic document drew global recognition of ``the 
                inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable 
                rights of all members of the human family.'' 
                Unfortunately, however, millions around the world still 
                suffer from unjust imprisonment, religious persecution, 
                and countless other human rights abuses. As part of my 
                Administration's efforts to protect human rights, in 
                July, the Department of State hosted the second 
                Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, and in 
                October, I

[[Page 68324]]

                was honored to be the first President to host a meeting 
                at the United Nations on religious freedom.

                During Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human 
                Rights Week, we celebrate the Bill of Rights for 
                safeguarding our God-given rights and protecting us 
                from the abuse of government power. We also acknowledge 
                the truth that people around the world are empowered 
                when human rights are protected by law. The United 
                States has long been at the forefront of this effort, 
                and we will always stand up for individual freedoms and 
                against all forms of oppression.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, 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 10, 2019, as 
                Human Rights Day; December 15, 2019, as Bill of Rights 
                Day; and the week beginning on December 8, 2019, as 
                Human Rights Week. I call upon the people of the United 
                States to mark these observances with appropriate 
                ceremonies and activities.

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

[FR Doc. 2019-27106
Filed 12-12-19; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F0-P