[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 38 (Monday, September 21, 1998)]
[Pages 1808-1809]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7123--Citizenship Day and Constitution Week, 1998

September 16, 1998

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Two hundred eleven years ago, on September 17, 1787, our Nation's 
Founders signed the Constitution that established our system of 
government. This extraordinary document, the product of passionate 
debate and grudging compromise, was crafted by a handful of individuals 
in the late 18th century; yet it has safely charted America's course 
through more than two centuries of enormous change and growth and has 
served as the model for democratic governments around the globe.
    The United States Constitution has endured in large part because of 
its remarkable fairness and flexibility. It created an inspired balance 
of powers and responsibilities among the executive, legislative, and 
judicial

[[Page 1809]]

branches of government and among the Federal Government, the States, and 
individual citizens. It also provided for a system of amendment that 
allows our democracy to correct past errors and omissions and to respond 
to new challenges. As we mark this anniversary of the signing of the 
Constitution, we celebrate the effort, the dedication, and the wisdom of 
our Founders and the blessings of liberty that resulted from their 
labors.
    We also celebrate those who have struggled to move America closer to 
fulfilling the first and fundamental purpose expressed in the 
Constitution: ``. . . to form a more perfect Union.'' Among these heroes 
were the thousands who fought and died during the Civil War to keep our 
Nation united and to banish slavery from our land. The 13th Amendment to 
the Constitution is the fruit of their sacrifice: ``Neither slavery nor 
involuntary servitude . . . shall exist within the United States.'' The 
courageous women and men who met at Seneca Falls, New York, 150 years 
ago also set the highest standards of citizenship. Recognizing that 
women, too, are entitled to share in America's promise of equality, they 
began a crusade that resulted in the ratification of the 19th Amendment, 
guaranteeing women the right to vote. Likewise, we honor American 
citizens of our century, black and white, who worked together, faced 
danger together, and sometimes died together in the struggle to end 
racial injustice in our society and move our Nation closer to the 
constitutional ideal of equality under the law. The 24th Amendment, 
guaranteeing all citizens the right to vote, reflects their spirit and 
commitment to true democracy.
    As we seek to form a more perfect union at home, we also bear the 
responsibilities of citizenship in our world community. Throughout our 
history, we have sought to secure the blessings of liberty not only for 
ourselves, but for all people everywhere. We remember the Americans who 
fought two world wars against tyranny and oppression and who triumphed 
in the Cold War through faith in the promise of democracy. These men and 
women cared so intensely about our Nation and their fellow human beings 
that they were willing to forgo their own comfort and sometimes even to 
sacrifice their own lives for the ideal of freedom envisioned by our 
Founders.
    In commemoration of the signing of the Constitution and in 
recognition of the importance of active, responsible citizenship in 
preserving the Constitution's blessings for our Nation, the Congress, by 
joint resolution of February 29, 1952 (36 U.S.C. 153), designated 
September 17 as ``Citizenship Day,'' and by joint resolution of August 
2, 1956 (36 U.S.C. 159), requested that the President proclaim the week 
beginning September 17 and ending September 23 of each year as 
``Constitution Week.''
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, do hereby proclaim September 17, 1998, as Citizenship 
Day and September 17 through September 23, 1998, as Constitution Week. I 
call upon Federal, State, and local officials, as well as leaders of 
civic, educational, and religious organizations, to conduct meaningful 
ceremonies and programs in our schools, houses of worship, and other 
community centers to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of 
the Constitution and the rights and duties of citizenship.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day 
of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, 
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred 
and twenty-third.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., September 18, 
1998]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on 
September 21.