    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 134, 116th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 10124 of December 4, 2020
    Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human Rights Week, 2020
    By the President of the United States of America
    A Proclamation
    Nearly 250 years ago, heroes of our Revolution signed the Declaration of
    Independence, offering a bold enumeration of inalienable rights endowed
    to us by our Creator. In time, with independence secured from a
    tyrannical monarchy, our Nation etched these principles of liberty and
    equality into the law of our fledgling Nation when we ratified our
    Constitution. The revolutionary idea they embodied--that certain
    indi-

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    vidual rights are beyond the reach of government--has resonated
    around the world. Today, and this week, we celebrate our sacred rights
    and the example they have set for the rest of history.
    James Madison, who drafted the Bill of Rights text, was initially
    skeptical of the need to secure specific rights explicitly in the
    Constitution, believing the checks and balances inherent in our system
    of government would operate to achieve that objective. But he came to recognize
    the value that the Bill of Rights could provide and worked to ensure
    that the individual rights and freedoms of Americans were precisely
    enumerated in the highest law of the land. Madison was acutely aware
    that, while a government formed to serve its people is just and
    legitimate, ``power, lodged as it must in human hands, will ever be
    liable to abuse.''; Accordingly, he worked to imprint essential human
    rights, including the rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of speech,
    and free exercise of religion in our foundational legal text, empowering
    generations of Americans by protecting them from government abuses.
    The revolutionary understanding of human rights reflected in the
    Declaration of Independence and encoded in our Constitution has provided
    a blueprint for the world in advancing individual human rights. In 1948,
    looking to our Bill of Rights as a model, the United Nations General
    Assembly established the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which
    recognizes the ``inherent dignity''; and ``equal and inalienable
    rights''; of mankind. Earlier this year, we also celebrated the 45th
    anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Accords, in which the Western
    World acknowledged similar fundamental human freedoms in defiance of the
    Soviet Union.
    Despite these milestones, the world is still plagued by tragic human
    rights abuses, including the oppression of women, forced labor, racism,
    and ethnic and religious persecution. My Administration continues to
    fight these injustices on all fronts while calling on other sovereign
    nations to respect the unalienable rights of their people. Earlier this
    year, I signed an Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship, which
    protects and fosters freedom of expression for Americans on social media
    and other platforms and also seeks to combat human rights abuses abroad
    like the mass imprisonment of religious minorities in China, which are
    often obscured by a cloud of false information online. Additionally, I
    recently signed an Executive Order on Advancing International Religious
    Freedom, which prioritizes this fundamental freedom in American
    diplomacy and recognizes that advancing religious freedom abroad is
    vital to combating rising levels of violence and crimes against humanity
    around the globe. There is no greater defender of liberty than the
    United States, and we will remain steadfast in our efforts.
    During Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human Rights Week, we
    cherish the unique story of our Nation and celebrate the patriots who
    helped our country secure our fundamental rights, freedoms, and values
    for ourselves and our posterity. We also take pride in the role that
    this heritage has played in advancing and protecting human rights around
    the world. America's commitment to individual liberty and human dignity
    is at our very core. We acknowledge that the principles set forth in the
    Bill of Rights are foundational, and we recommit to ensuring their
    legacy in our country as we continue to lead the way toward stronger
    human rights protections around the world.

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    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, 2020, as
    Human Rights Day; December 15, 2020, as Bill of Rights Day, and the week
    beginning on December 6, 2020, 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 fourth day of
    December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
    fifth.
    DONALD J. TRUMP