[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 15 (Monday, April 18, 1994)]
[Pages 807-808]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6669--251st Anniversary of the Birth of Thomas Jefferson

April 13, 1994

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    ``I am certainly not an advocate for frequent and untried changes in 
laws and constitutions,'' Thomas Jefferson once wrote, ``But . . . laws 
and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human 
mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new 
discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions 
change . . . institutions must advance also, and keep pace with the 
times.''
    These words have challenged and inspired the countless millions who 
have come to America's capital and have seen them inscribed on the 
marble wall of the Jefferson Memorial. Jefferson's statue presides nobly 
over America's capital city, a steadfast and enduring reminder of the 
democratic government that he helped to found. Yet unlike his unchanging 
visage, our democracy's institutions have proved to be remarkably agile 
in governing, maturing as society has progressed, evolving as human 
knowledge and technology have advanced--far beyond Jefferson's 
imagining. Of all the truths Jefferson knew to be self-evident, of all 
the freedoms he held dear, this understanding of the need for political 
and social innovation is perhaps his most lasting gift. He helped to 
endow us with the freedom to embrace change.
    As we complete the year celebrating the 250th anniversary of his 
birth, it is entirely fitting that we again pause to reflect upon both 
the contradictions of Jefferson's life and the meaning of his legacy. 
Far from the sculpted perfection of his statue, Jefferson acknowledged, 
even anguished about, his failings as a leader. In expressing his 
fervent

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hope that we would one day purge the evil of slavery from our land, he 
wrote, ``I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that 
his justice cannot sleep forever.'' Despite his flaws, Jefferson imbued 
us with his powerful faith that justice would ultimately transcend our 
seeming inability to do what we know is right. And I believe he would 
rejoice to know how far America has come toward winning equal justice 
under law.

    In the United States, we must constantly relearn his teaching that 
change is both an inevitable and essential part of safeguarding our 
precious freedoms. We recognize, as he did in his day, that our 
democracy must continue to develop, that we must shape our politics and 
policies to meet the rapidly shifting needs of our people and to embrace 
the better angels of our nature. On this day, we remember that our 
Nation is an ongoing experiment, a new and fragile spirit, requiring our 
eternal care and vigilance if it is to continue to grow and prosper and 
shine.

    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim 
Wednesday, April 13, 1994, as the 251st Anniversary of the Birth of 
Thomas Jefferson. I encourage all Americans to reflect upon his words 
and deeds and to rededicate themselves to making our Nation one of which 
he would be proud. Additionally, I call upon the people of the United 
States to observe this occasion with appropriate programs, ceremonies, 
and activities.

    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day 
of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-four, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
eighteenth.

                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:11 a.m., April 14, 
1994]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on April 
15.