[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 132, 115th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9832 of December 7, 2018

Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human Rights Week, 2018

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Our Nation was founded on the idea that our Creator endows each
individual with certain unalienable rights. In the Declaration of
Independence, Thomas Jefferson identified life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness as among these fundamental human rights. Our Nation has
enshrined these and other rights, which Americans continue to enjoy
today, in the Bill of Rights.
On Bill of Rights Day, we recognize the key role of the Bill of Rights
in protecting our individual liberties and limiting the power of
government. The Founding Fathers understood the real threat government
can pose to the rights of the people. James Madison, who introduced the
Bill of Rights in the Congress, stated that the ``essence of Government
is power; and power, lodged as it must be, in human hands, will ever be
liable to abuse.''; That is why those first 10 Amendments to the
Constitution, among others, protected the right to speak freely, the
right to freely worship, the right to keep and bear arms, the right to
be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, and the right to due
process of law. As a part of the Constitution, the supreme law of the
land, the Bill of Rights has protected our rights effectively against
the abuse of government power for 227 years.
The Bill of Rights has served as a model for other countries in helping
them develop their own safeguards for fundamental human rights. Seventy
years ago, on December 10, 1948, as the world was emerging from the
catastrophic destruction of World War II, the Bill of Rights inspired
the United Nations General Assembly to adopt the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights. Similar to the Bill of Rights, the Universal Dec

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laration of Human Rights enumerates many basic rights that are essential
to preserving the dignity and liberty of all people. Today, the United
States continues to respect the sovereign right of each country to chart
its own social, economic, and cultural advancement. We also, however,
recognize the universal truth that those countries that strive to honor
and defend human rights are more likely to achieve long-term,
sustainable prosperity and peace.
During Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human Rights Week, we
vow to fiercely protect the eternal flame of liberty. Since there will
always be a temptation for government to abuse its power, we reaffirm
our commitment to defend the Bill of Rights and uphold the Constitution.
We also remember all those around the world whose God-given rights have
been violated and disregarded by authoritarian regimes, and we express
our desire for the rule of law and liberty to one day triumph over all
forms of oppression.
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, 2018, as
Human Rights Day; December 15, 2018, as Bill of Rights Day; and the week
beginning December 9, 2018, as Human Rights Week. I call upon the people
of the United States to mark these observances with appropriate
ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of
December, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
third.
DONALD J. TRUMP