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

    Proclamation 10097 of October 8, 2020
    Leif Erikson Day, 2020
    By the President of the United States of America
    A Proclamation
    More than 1,000 years ago, the Norse explorer and Viking Leif Erikson
    made landfall in modern-day Newfoundland, likely becoming the first
    European to discover the New World. Today, Leif Erikson represents over
    a millennium of shared history between the Nordic countries and the
    Americas and symbolizes the many contributions of Nordic Americans to
    our great Nation.
    Accomplished in the face of daunting danger and carried out in service
    of Judeo-Christian values, Leif Erikson's story reflects the fundamental
    truths about the American character. On a mission to evangelize
    Greenland, Leif Erikson and his crew were blown off course. They had to
    brave the cold waters of the northern Atlantic to find safe harbor on
    the North American coastline. In surviving this ordeal, these hardened
    Vikings tested the limits of human exploration in a way that continues
    to inspire us today.
    In 1825, six Norwegian families repeated this voyage, landing their
    sloop in New York Harbor in the first organized migration to the United
    States from Scandinavia. Like the Puritans and pilgrims before them,
    these people came to our Nation seeking religious freedom and safety
    from persecution. Now, more than 11 million Americans can trace their
    roots to Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, and among them
    stand Nobel Laureates, Academy Award winners, and

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    Legion of Merit recipients. Across our Nation, from the Danish villages
    of western Iowa to the Norwegian Ridge in Minnesota and the Finns of
    Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Nordic Americans have left their mark on our
    culture, economy, and society.
    Nordic countries remain strong economic partners and military allies of
    our Nation. They each hold important roles in the Arctic Council,
    facilitating cooperation on economic development, environmental
    conservation, and indigenous rights. As North Atlantic Treaty
    Organization Allies and partners, all five Nordic countries greatly
    contribute to the peace and stability of the transatlantic community and
    the entire world. The United States greatly values their continued
    friendship.
    On Leif Erikson Day, we celebrate Nordic Americans whose firm faith and
    resolve are woven into the fabric of our Nation, and we commit to
    continuing our strong diplomatic relationship with Scandinavian nations
    for years to come.
    To honor Leif Erikson, son of Iceland and grandson of Norway, and to
    celebrate our Nordic-American heritage, the Congress, by joint
    resolution (Public Law 88-566) approved on September 2, 1964, has
    authorized the President of the United States to proclaim October 9 of
    each year as ``Leif Erikson Day.'';
    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 October 9, 2020, as
    Leif Erikson Day. I call upon all Americans to celebrate the
    contributions of Nordic Americans to our Nation with appropriate
    ceremonies, activities, and programs.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of
    October, 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