[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 26 (Monday, July 5, 1999)]
[Pages 1249-1250]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message on the Observance of Independence Day, 1999

July 1, 1999

    I am delighted to join my fellow Americans across the nation and 
around the world in celebrating Independence Day.
    Today we gather with family and friends to commemorate the 223rd 
anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In 
marking this historic event, and in remembering the courage and 
sacrifice of the patriots and soldiers who fought and died that we might 
shape our own destiny, we are truly celebrating the birth of our great 
country.
    Every generation of Americans owes a profound debt of gratitude to 
our Founders for envisioning a nation that, as President Lincoln so 
eloquently put it, was ``conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the 
proposition that all men are created equal.'' Inspired by this same 
vision, we have built together a society in which freedom and democracy 
do more than enlighten our laws and political institutions--they 
permeate our culture and way of life. We have only to look at the recent 
tragic events in Kosovo to recognize how blessed we are to live in a 
land where life, liberty, and equality are cherished rights, upheld by 
courts and custom, and where, as we realize more each day, our diversity 
is a source of strength rather than a cause for division.
    On this day, as we look back with pride on our heritage of freedom, 
let us look forward as well with renewed hope for the future. Enjoying 
the fruits of a robust economy, the stability of a country at peace, and 
the talents and energy of an increasingly diverse populace, America is 
poised to lead the world into a new millennium full of fresh 
opportunities and challenges.
    Hillary joins me in sending best wishes to all for a wonderful 
Fourth of July.
                                                  Bill Clinton

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