[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 118, 108th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

Proclamation 7817 of September 17, 2004


 
Citizenship Day and Constitution Week, 2004


By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Two hundred and seventeen years ago this week, delegates to the
Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed one of the most
enduring documents in history: the Constitution of the United States.
Our Constitution is the foundation of our liberty and has guaranteed the
rights of our people through a history of tremendous change and
progress.
Today, we marvel at the wisdom of the Framers who toiled through a long
summer of learned and contentious debates. Their work produced a
document that upholds high ideals, while answering the most practical
questions of governance. The charter they crafted--with its separate
branches of Government, enumerated powers, checks and balances, and
later the specific protections provided by our Bill of Rights--guides
our Nation and inspires others around the world.
During Constitution Week, our Nation reflects on the significance of our
Constitution and gives thanks for the blessings of liberty that this
document helps to secure. We honor the men and women who have supported
and defended it throughout our history, at times with their lives. On
Citizenship Day, we reaffirm our commitment to freedom, to ensuring that
our history endures, and to instilling in America's next generation the
values that make our country great.
In remembrance of the signing of the Constitution and in recognition of
the Americans who strive to uphold the duties and responsibilities of
citizenship, the Congress, by joint resolution of February 29, 1952 (36
U.S.C. 106, as amended), designated September 17 as ``Citizenship
Day,''; and by joint resolution of August 2, 1956 (36 U.S.C. 108, as
amended), requested that the President proclaim the week beginning
September 17 and ending September 23 of each year as ``Constitution
Week.'';
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of
America, do hereby proclaim September 17, 2004, as Citizenship Day, and
September 17 through September 23, 2004, as Constitution Week. I
encourage Federal, State, and local officials, as well as leaders of
civic, social, and educational organizations, to conduct ceremonies and
programs that celebrate our Constitution and reaffirm our rights and
obligations as citizens of our great Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of
September, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
ninth.
GEORGE W. BUSH

PROCLAMATION 7818--SEPT. 20, 2004

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118 STAT. 4181