[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 131, 115th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9685 of December 8, 2017

Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human Rights Week, 2017

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Our great country was forged in the fires of a revolution to overthrow
the rule of a tyrant, by a free people who understood the fundamental

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truth that liberty is best secured when the state's power is carefully
limited. From the Declaration of Independence, to the Constitution, and
through the Bill of Rights, our country and our people have always known
the true, God-given nature of liberty and the ability of law to
safeguard it against the state. For 226 years, the final piece of this
freedom-sustaining bulwark--the Bill of Rights--has formed the bedrock
of the constitutional protections every American holds dear as their
birthright.
On Bill of Rights Day, we recognize the importance of the first 10
Amendments to our Constitution to protecting our liberty and freedom
against the inevitable encroachment of government. Our Founding Fathers
understood the threat of expansive, omnipresent government. From the
beginning of our republic, therefore, they endeavored to enhance the
Constitution with a bill of rights, a specific enumeration of
fundamental rights that would prevail even against a future government
inclined to abuse the power it has over the lives of citizens.
On June 8, 1789, James Madison, originally skeptical of the need for a
bill of rights, introduced in the Congress several amendments to the
Constitution that would eventually form the Bill of Rights. During the
ensuing debates, Madison told the Congress that because ``all power is
subject to abuse'' it was worth taking steps to ensure that such abuse
``may be guarded against in a more secure manner.'' Many of the rights
set forth in the amendments Madison introduced that day are quite
familiar to us as Americans: the right to worship as we please; the
right to speak our minds and consciences; the right to firearms to
protect ourselves and our loved ones; the right to be free from
unwarranted government searches and seizures; the right to a jury of our
fellow citizens when accused of legal wrongdoing. Others--like the right
to object to housing troops in our homes during peacetime--are often
thought of as relics of a bygone era. Regardless of their familiarity or
applicability to our daily lives, however, each clause of the Bill of
Rights addresses profound and real abuses the Founders faced and each is
crafted and locked into law to protect us and future generations from
their repetition.
Since its adoption, the reach of the Bill of Rights has spread far
beyond America's shores. As George Washington rightfully said:
``Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.''
For example, in the wake of the devastation of World War II, the spirit
of the Bill of Rights inspired the United Nations General Assembly to
adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Just like the
Bill of Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is grounded in
the recognition that just governments must respect the fundamental
liberty and dignity of their people. By enumerating core rights that
should be immune from government encroachment, both the Bill of Rights
and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have helped fuel
remarkable prosperity and achievement around the world.
During Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human Rights Week, we
rededicate ourselves to steadfastly and faithfully defending the Bill of
Rights and human rights. Our God-given, fundamental rights are soon
overcome if not safeguarded by the people. We, therefore, also reflect
upon the many individuals who are unable to enjoy the God-given rights
that we as Americans know are secure. We remember those suffering under
the yolk of authoritarianism and extremism for doing nothing more than
standing up to injustice or daring to profess

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or practice their religion, and we acknowledge those imprisoned or in
peril simply because of their political views or their sex.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, 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 10, 2017, as
Human Rights Day; December 15, 2017, as Bill of Rights Day; and the week
beginning December 10, 2017, as Human Rights Week. 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 eighth day of
December, in the year of our Lord two thousand seventeen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
second.
DONALD J. TRUMP