[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 24 (Monday, June 21, 1999)]
[Pages 1090-1091]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7204--Flag Day and National Flag Week, 1999

June 11, 1999

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Since its adoption in 1777 by the Continental Congress, the Stars 
and Stripes has symbolized the promise of America. This promise--of 
equality, justice under the law, freedom from tyranny, and inclusion in 
a government of the people--beckons immigrants to our shores today just 
as it has for more than two centuries. Each time the Stars and Stripes 
is raised over our homes, public buildings, schools, or community 
gathering places, it proclaims that our Nation's great experiment in 
democracy is alive and well.
    The stately design of the Stars and Stripes celebrates America's 
diversity while proclaiming the unity of our Nation. Its white stars, 
whose shifting constellation has chronicled the growth of our Nation, 
are the ancient symbols of a sovereign domain; they lie on a field of 
blue that represents loyalty, justice, and truth. Thus our flag 
describes the unique Republic designed by our founders, in which States 
that vary widely in geography, history, and culture are joined in 
sustaining

[[Page 1091]]

the common goals and ideals our Nation holds dear. The Stars and Stripes 
reminds us that, wherever we come from across our country, we are all 
first and foremost Americans.
    Today as we stand at the threshold of the 21st century, we have a 
special opportunity to renew our flag's heritage and to honor the spirit 
of resilience in our national character that it signifies. As part of 
this effort, the White House Millennium Council's ``Save America's 
Treasures Project,'' created by the First Lady, is helping to restore 
and preserve the original Star-Spangled Banner at the Smithsonian's 
National Museum of American History. This banner, ``so gallantly 
streaming'' as the British navy retreated from Baltimore Harbor after a 
failed assault on Fort McHenry in 1814, is immortalized in the bold and 
patriotic words of Francis Scott Key that now serve as our National 
Anthem. From the fledgling Nation of Key's time, defiantly opposing 
domination by European powers, the United States has evolved into a 
Nation of unrivaled influence in the world with an unparalleled 
commitment to democracy and human rights. During Flag Day and National 
Flag Week, we honor this incredible journey and the bright future it has 
made possible.
    To commemorate the adoption of our flag, the Congress, by joint 
resolution approved August 3, 1949 (63 Stat. 492), designated June 14 of 
each year as ``Flag Day'' and requested the President to issue an annual 
proclamation calling for its observance and for the display of the Flag 
of the United States on all Federal Government buildings. The Congress 
also requested the President, by joint resolution approved June 9, 1966 
(80 Stat. 194), to issue annually a proclamation designating the week in 
which June 14 falls as ``National Flag Week'' and calling upon all 
citizens of the United States to display the flag during that week.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 1999, as Flag Day and the 
week beginning June 13, 1999, as National Flag Week. I direct the 
appropriate officials to display the flag on all Federal Government 
buildings during that week, and I urge all Americans to observe Flag Day 
and National Flag Week by flying the Stars and Stripes from their homes 
and other suitable places.
    I also call upon the people of the United States to observe with 
pride and all due ceremony those days from Flag Day through Independence 
Day, also set aside by the Congress (89 Stat. 211), as a time to honor 
our Nation, to celebrate our heritage in public gatherings and 
activities, and to publicly recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag 
of the United States of America.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day of 
June, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-nine, 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., June 15, 
1999]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on June 
16. This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.