[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 24 (Monday, June 21, 1993)]
[Pages 1072-1073]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6572--Flag Day and National Flag Week, 1993

 June 14, 1993

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    In 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as 
the official flag of the young United States of America. Describing the 
new flag, the Congress wrote, ``White signifies Purity and Innocence; 
Red, Hardiness and Valor; Blue signifies Vigilance, Perseverance and 
Justice,'' with the stars forming ``a new constellation.''
    The words of the Continental Congress ring truer to us today than 
ever before. Wherever the Stars and Stripes are flown, they represent 
the highest ideals of America: justice, purity, and strength. The flag 
has flown over smoky battlefields, peaceful demonstrations, and wherever 
else Americans

[[Page 1073]]

strive to express their precious freedoms in the face of adversity. 
Today, in accordance with congressional joint resolutions (63 Stat. 492 
and 80 Stat. 194), we set aside June 14 as Flag Day and the week 
beginning June 13 as National Flag Week to honor the colors and stars 
that have flown proudly over the United States for 216 years.
    Just as we pay our respects to our flag, so must we honor our 
Nation's Founders, the brave people who inscribed their names on the 
Declaration of Independence and breathed life into its text. The ideals 
embodied by the Declaration have served as a guide for our Nation and an 
inspiration for people around the world. This document delineated the 
very idea of America, that individual rights are derived not from the 
generosity of the government, but from the hand of the Almighty. The 
Founders forever abandoned their allegiance to the old European notions 
of caste and dedicated themselves to the belief that all people are 
created equal.
    The brilliant men who gathered in Philadelphia in 1776 to declare 
our Nation's independence risked their honor, their fortunes, and their 
very lives to create a better future for their children and 
grandchildren. We, the inheritors of freedom's legacy, owe our liberties 
to the fact that our Founders saw the need for dramatic change and acted 
upon it.
    Today, vast changes are sweeping the globe. Nations that have known 
only tyranny for centuries are now dedicating themselves to the ideals 
of freedom and democracy. And wherever freedom is proclaimed, echoes of 
the American Declaration of Independence can be heard. Thomas 
Jefferson's words are being spoken in dozens of nations in hundreds of 
languages.
    We are justly proud of the influence that our beliefs have had on 
the world. But the mission of America is far from complete. While the 
world is filled with opportunity, it is rife with uncertainty. We must 
dedicate ourselves to carrying on the dreams of the Founders and adding 
our own chapter to the unfinished American story. By embracing the 
changes that are altering the landscape of the world today, we help 
ensure a brighter, more democratic, and more peaceful world. As we 
celebrate our independence, I encourage all Americans to rededicate 
themselves to the conviction that our precious freedoms require constant 
vigilance and reaffirmation.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 1993, as Flag Day and the 
week beginning June 13, 1993, as National Flag Week. I direct the 
appropriate officials of the government to display the flag of the 
United States on all government buildings during that week. I encourage 
all Americans to observe Flag Day and Flag Week by flying the Stars and 
Stripes from their homes and other suitable places. I also urge the 
American people to celebrate those days from Flag Day through 
Independence Day, as set aside by the Congress (89 Stat. 211), as a time 
to honor America, by having public gatherings and activities at which 
they can honor and pledge their allegiance to our country.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day 
of June, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
seventeenth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 2:02 p.m., June 14, 
1993]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on June 
16.