[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book II)]
[July 1, 1998]
[Page 1159]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 1159]]


Message on the Observance of Independence Day, 1998
July 1, 1998

    I am delighted to join my fellow Americans across the nation and 
around the world in celebrating Independence Day.
    Throughout the year, we set aside special times to remember and 
celebrate our different ethnic roots. But on Independence Day, we 
rejoice in our common heritage as Americans and in the values and 
history we share.
    We have all benefited from the wisdom of our nation's founders, who 
crafted a blueprint for democracy that has served us well for more than 
200 years and continues to inspire newly independent nations around the 
world. We are all heirs to the rights articulated in our Constitution 
and reaffirmed by courageous men and women of every generation who have 
struggled to secure justice and equality for all. We are all forever 
indebted to the millions of Americans in uniform who have shed their 
blood to defend our freedom and preserve our values across America and 
around the globe.
    But we Americans are bound together not only by a shared past, but 
also by a common future. Blessed with peace and prosperity, we have an 
unprecedented opportunity to prepare for the challenges of the next 
century: to keep America free and secure, to improve health care and 
education, to bring the opportunities of the Information Age into every 
home and classroom, and to strengthen the bonds of our national 
community as we grow more racially and ethnically diverse.
    On this Independence Day, as we celebrate our rights and freedoms 
and look forward to a new century of limitless possibilities, Hillary 
joins me in wishing you a wonderful Fourth of July.

                                                            Bill Clinton