[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 14 (Monday, April 9, 2007)]
[Pages 424-425]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 8122--400th Anniversary of Jamestown, 2007

 April 6, 2007

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    Four centuries ago, after a long journey, a small group of colonists 
stepped boldly onto the shores of the New World and established the 
first permanent English settlement in North America. During the 400th 
anniversary of Jamestown, America honors the early pioneers whose epic 
of endurance and courage started the story of our Nation.
    The ideals that distinguish and guide the United States today trace 
back to the Virginia settlement where free enterprise, the rule of law, 
and the spirit of discovery took hold in the hearts and practices of the 
American people. Noble institutions and grand traditions were 
established in Jamestown. Amid tremendous difficulties, a determined few 
worked the land and expanded into the wilderness. Without knowing it, 
the colonists who built communities at Jamestown laid the foundation for 
a Nation that would become the ultimate symbol and force for freedom 
throughout the entire world.
    Much has changed in the 400 years since that three-sided fort was 
raised on the banks of the James River. Today, we are a strong and 
growing Nation of more than 300 million, and we are blessed to live in a 
land of

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plenty during a time of great prosperity. The long struggle that started 
at Jamestown has inspired generations of Americans. Advancing the right 
to live, work, and worship in liberty is the mission that created our 
country, the honorable achievement of our ancestors, and the calling of 
our time.
     Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, 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 2007 as the 400th 
Anniversary of Jamestown. I encourage all Americans to commemorate this 
milestone by honoring the courage of those who came before us, 
participating in appropriate programs and celebrations, and visiting 
this historic site with family and friends.
     In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of 
April, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
first.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:52 a.m., April 10, 
2007]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
April 11.