[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 129, 114th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9381 of December 14, 2015

Bill of Rights Day, 2015

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

The ratification of the Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791, marked one
of our country's earliest and most important steps toward ensuring that
the ideals enshrined in our founding documents are the birthright of all
Americans. Written to guarantee our fledgling Nation would never succumb
to the tyranny it fought against, these first 10 Amendments to our
Constitution help safeguard the bedrock principles of equality, liberty,
and justice. In the years since, America has carried forward the spirit
enshrined in the Bill of Rights--recognizing that freedom is a value we
must forever work to uphold.
Each generation is tasked with continuing the work of perfecting our
Nation. In the 224 years since this codification of our most fundamental
freedoms, America has been propelled by the persistent effort of her
citizens--people from all walks of life who have accepted the challenge
of pushing to expand liberty to all. The same American instinct that
sparked our revolution and spurred the creation of the Bill of Rights
still inspires us to step forward to defend our founding ideals. It is
what inspired a groundbreaking convention in Seneca Falls, drove
courageous people to march in Selma, and started a transformative
movement for LGBT rights at a bar in New York City. Generations of
heroes who believed America is a constant work in progress have
advocated and sacrificed to realize that progress and have worked to
uphold the belief at the heart of the Bill of Rights: Free men and women
have the capacity to shape their own destiny and forge a fairer and more
just world for all who follow.
Today, we stand on the shoulders of those who dedicated their lives to
upholding the meaning of our founding documents throughout changing
times--a mission made possible by the fundamental liberties secured in
the Bill of Rights. As we reflect on the strides we have made to lift up
an engaged citizenry, we pay tribute to the extraor

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dinary foresight of our Founders who granted the protections that enable
us to bring about the change we seek. Let us recommit to continuing our
legacy as a Nation that rejects complacency, empowers its citizens to
recognize and redress its imperfections, and embraces the struggle of
improving our democracy so that all our people are able to make of their
lives what they will.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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 15, 2015, as
Bill of Rights Day. I call upon the people of the United States to mark
this observance with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of
December, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA