[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 182 (Thursday, September 21, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 65109-65110]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-20600]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 182 / Thursday, September 21, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 65109]]

                Proclamation 10625 of September 15, 2023

                
Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and 
                Constitution Week, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                More than two centuries ago, our Founders set in motion 
                the most extraordinary experiment of self-government 
                the world has ever known with three simple words: ``We, 
                the People.'' These timeless words from our 
                Constitution help capture the very idea of America--
                that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated 
                equally throughout our lives. On Constitution Day and 
                Citizenship Day, and during Constitution Week, we 
                recommit to doing the work of upholding our 
                Constitution, defending our democracy, and building an 
                America that is more prosperous, more equal, and more 
                just.

                History requires us to acknowledge that we have never 
                fully lived up to the promise of America. But we have 
                never fully walked away from it either. Burning inside 
                each generation of Americans is the flame of liberty 
                lit at Independence Hall that has guided our Nation 
                from the horrors of slavery to the justice of 
                abolition, from the tragedy of a Civil War to the 
                preservation of our Union, and from economic turmoil 
                and world wars to movements for universal suffrage and 
                civil rights. Our commitment to a Government--of, by, 
                and for the people--has ensured that our Nation remains 
                a citadel of liberty.

                American democracy hinges on a fundamental freedom 
                guaranteed by our Constitution: the right to vote. In 
                our own time, as in generations past, this freedom has 
                been under attack. The Supreme Court weakened the 
                landmark Voting Rights Act, and States have enacted 
                dozens of anti-voting laws in the years since. In one 
                of the darkest moments of our Nation's history, on 
                January 6, 2021, we saw the violent and deadly 
                insurrection at the Capitol perpetrated by election 
                deniers. My Administration will not allow the right to 
                vote and have that vote counted be taken from the 
                American people. This year, I signed the Electoral 
                Count Reform Act to preserve the will of the people and 
                help protect the peaceful transfer of power. And I 
                continue to urge the Congress to pass the Freedom to 
                Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement 
                Act to restore and expand voting protections and to 
                prevent voter suppression.

                But there is still more work to do. Protecting our 
                civil rights is the duty of each and every American. In 
                the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to eliminate a 
                woman's right to choose--a constitutional right that it 
                had recognized for nearly 50 years--my Administration 
                took action to protect access to reproductive care, and 
                we are continuing to call on the Congress to restore 
                the protections of Roe v. Wade. As some seek to erase 
                our history and ban books, we are making it clear that 
                we cannot just choose to learn what we want to know and 
                not what we should know. We must learn everything--the 
                good, the bad, and the truth of who we are as a Nation. 
                That is what great nations do. And we are a great 
                Nation. The diversity that defines America is a 
                strength, not a weakness, and we will continue to fight 
                for the full inclusion of all Americans in the promise 
                of America.

                As we celebrate our Constitution, we also celebrate the 
                rights and responsibilities of citizenship. We honor 
                everyday Americans who always do extraordinary things. 
                And we welcome our newest citizens and immigrants--many

[[Page 65110]]

                of whom left the only home they have ever known with 
                hopes of pursuing the American Dream, bringing new 
                energy and ideas that move our Nation forward. That is 
                why, on day one of my Administration, I sent the 
                Congress my plan to reform the immigration system. And 
                until the Congress acts, we will keep using every tool 
                we have to make immigration more orderly, safe, and 
                humane.

                America is founded on an idea--one stronger than any 
                army, bigger than any ocean, and more powerful than any 
                dictator or tyrant. It is the most powerful idea in the 
                history of the world, and it beats in the hearts of the 
                people in this country. It is the idea that America 
                guarantees that everyone be treated with dignity. It 
                gives hate no safe harbor. It instills in everyone the 
                belief that, no matter where you start in life, there 
                is nothing you cannot achieve. Whether your ancestors 
                were native to these shores or they were brought here 
                forcibly and enslaved--or whether they immigrated 
                generations back, like my family from Ireland, or they 
                just arrived in search of a better life for their 
                families--the idea of America unites all of us. Today 
                and every day, we celebrate this idea imagined in our 
                Constitution and preserved through the noble labors of 
                Americans past and present. And we reaffirm our 
                commitment to ensuring this idea lives on for 
                generations to come.

                To honor the timeless principles enshrined in our 
                Constitution, the Congress has, by joint resolution of 
                February 29, 1952 (36 U.S.C. 106), designated September 
                17 as ``Constitution Day and Citizenship Day'' and 
                authorized the President to issue a proclamation 
                calling on United States officials to display the flag 
                of the United States on all Government buildings on 
                that day. By joint resolution of August 2, 1956 (36 
                U.S.C. 108), the Congress further requested that the 
                President proclaim the week beginning September 17 and 
                ending September 23 of each year as ``Constitution 
                Week.''

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 September 17, 
                2023, as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and 
                September 17 through September 23 as Constitution Week. 
                On this day and during this week, we celebrate our 
                Constitution and the rights of citizenship that 
                together we enjoy as the people of this proud Nation.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-20600
Filed 9-20-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P