[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 237 (Wednesday, December 9, 2020)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 79375-79376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27242]



[[Page 79373]]

Vol. 85

Wednesday,

No. 237

December 9, 2020

Part IV





The President





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Proclamation 10124--Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human 
Rights Week, 2020



Proclamation 10125--National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, 2020
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  Federal Register / Vol. 85 , No. 237 / Wednesday, December 9, 2020 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Proclamation 10124 of December 4, 2020

                
Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human 
                Rights Week, 2020

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Nearly 250 years ago, heroes of our Revolution signed 
                the Declaration of Independence, offering a bold 
                enumeration of inalienable rights endowed to us by our 
                Creator. In time, with independence secured from a 
                tyrannical monarchy, our Nation etched these principles 
                of liberty and equality into the law of our fledgling 
                Nation when we ratified our Constitution. The 
                revolutionary idea they embodied--that certain 
                individual rights are beyond the reach of government--
                has resonated around the world. Today, and this week, 
                we celebrate our sacred rights and the example they 
                have set for the rest of history.

                James Madison, who drafted the Bill of Rights text, was 
                initially skeptical of the need to secure specific 
                rights explicitly in the Constitution, believing the 
                checks and balances inherent in our system of 
                government would operate to achieve that objective. But 
                he came to recognize the value that the Bill of Rights 
                could provide and worked to ensure that the individual 
                rights and freedoms of Americans were precisely 
                enumerated in the highest law of the land. Madison was 
                acutely aware that, while a government formed to serve 
                its people is just and legitimate, ``power, lodged as 
                it must in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.'' 
                Accordingly, he worked to imprint essential human 
                rights, including the rights to peaceful assembly, 
                freedom of speech, and free exercise of religion in our 
                foundational legal text, empowering generations of 
                Americans by protecting them from government abuses.

                The revolutionary understanding of human rights 
                reflected in the Declaration of Independence and 
                encoded in our Constitution has provided a blueprint 
                for the world in advancing individual human rights. In 
                1948, looking to our Bill of Rights as a model, the 
                United Nations General Assembly established the 
                Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes 
                the ``inherent dignity'' and ``equal and inalienable 
                rights'' of mankind. Earlier this year, we also 
                celebrated the 45th anniversary of the signing of the 
                Helsinki Accords, in which the Western World 
                acknowledged similar fundamental human freedoms in 
                defiance of the Soviet Union.

                Despite these milestones, the world is still plagued by 
                tragic human rights abuses, including the oppression of 
                women, forced labor, racism, and ethnic and religious 
                persecution. My Administration continues to fight these 
                injustices on all fronts while calling on other 
                sovereign nations to respect the unalienable rights of 
                their people. Earlier this year, I signed an Executive 
                Order on Preventing Online Censorship, which protects 
                and fosters freedom of expression for Americans on 
                social media and other platforms and also seeks to 
                combat human rights abuses abroad like the mass 
                imprisonment of religious minorities in China, which 
                are often obscured by a cloud of false information 
                online. Additionally, I recently signed an Executive 
                Order on Advancing International Religious Freedom, 
                which prioritizes this fundamental freedom in American 
                diplomacy and recognizes that advancing religious 
                freedom abroad is vital to combating rising levels of 
                violence and crimes against humanity around the globe. 
                There is no greater defender

[[Page 79376]]

                of liberty than the United States, and we will remain 
                steadfast in our efforts.

                During Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human 
                Rights Week, we cherish the unique story of our Nation 
                and celebrate the patriots who helped our country 
                secure our fundamental rights, freedoms, and values for 
                ourselves and our posterity. We also take pride in the 
                role that this heritage has played in advancing and 
                protecting human rights around the world. America's 
                commitment to individual liberty and human dignity is 
                at our very core. We acknowledge that the principles 
                set forth in the Bill of Rights are foundational, and 
                we recommit to ensuring their legacy in our country as 
                we continue to lead the way toward stronger human 
                rights protections around the world.

                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, 2020, as 
                Human Rights Day; December 15, 2020, as Bill of Rights 
                Day, and the week beginning on December 6, 2020, 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 
                fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2020-27242
Filed 12-8-20; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P