    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [July 2, 1997]
    [Page 903]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message on the Observance of Independence Day, 1997
    July 2, 1997

        I am pleased to join my fellow Americans across the nation and
    around the world in celebrating Independence Day.
        Looking back across two centuries, we still marvel at the courage
    and vision of our nation's founders. With clear eyes and staunch hearts,
    they fashioned a new form of government for our new country, a
    government that honors human dignity and protects individual rights.
    They devised a democracy strong enough to endure through the ages, yet
    flexible enough to meet new challenges and achieve new dreams. And in
    doing so, they made America a beacon of hope for generations of people
    around the world who cherish liberty and justice.
        We have much to celebrate on this Independence Day. The journey our
    nation began more than 220 years ago has brought us to a time of peace
    and prosperity, a time of unprecedented opportunity to realize the full
    potential of all our citizens. As heirs to the freedom and equality
    bequeathed to us in the Declaration of Independence, it is now our
    responsibility--and our privilege--to build on that legacy and to ensure
    that America's promise holds true for all our people.
        As we join with family and friends to commemorate another Fourth of
    July, let us resolve to make America a land where prejudice and
    discrimination have no place; to recognize that the values and ideals we
    share are more powerful and enduring than any force that would divide
    us; and to enter the twenty-first century as the ``more perfect Union''
    first envisioned by our founders two centuries ago.
        Hillary joins me in extending best wishes for a wonderful Fourth of
    July celebration.

                                                                Bill Clinton