[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 8 (Monday, March 3, 2008)]
[Page 280]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Picturing America Initiative

February 26, 2008

    Thank you all for coming. Please be seated. Thank you. Welcome to 
the White House. Looks like we have a distinguished crowd here today. 
Most of you are renowned scholars, intellectuals, and writers. You've 
earned reputations for expressing man's noblest deeds and thoughts in 
pristine, eloquent English. Just like me. [Laughter]
    Justice, thanks for coming. Appreciate you being here. I thank 
members of the Cabinet who have joined us. Ambassador, glad you're here.
    I want to say a word about Bruce Cole. Bruce is an accomplished art 
historian, a good man, and he's been a great Chairman of the National 
Endowment of the Humanities.
    Bruce understands what all of you understand: At their best, the 
arts and humanities express the ideals that define our Nation. The 
United States is a country defined not by bloodline, race, or creed but 
by our character and convictions. We are united by an unyielding 
principle, and that is, all men are created equal. We firmly believe 
that each man and woman has the right to make the most of their God-
given talents. And we believe that all are endowed with the divine gift 
of freedom.
    These ideals have sustained us throughout the centuries, and as a 
new generation is called to defend the principles of our democracy, they 
must understand why these principles are worthy of effort and sacrifice.
    The National Endowment for the Humanities is at the forefront of 
this vital educational mission. One way the endowment fulfills this 
mission is through the ``We the People'' program, which we established 
in 2002 to address gaps in our children's knowledge of history and 
civics.
    In just 5 years, the program has awarded nearly 1,400 grants to 
projects that preserve historical sites, documents, and artifacts and 
train future historians. In partnership with the American Library 
Association, ``We the People'' has produced an annual bookshelf on 
enduring American themes such as courage and freedom. More than 6,000 
sets of these books have been provided to schools and public libraries 
across the country.
    ``We the People'' teacher workshops have allowed thousands of 
educators to discover American history in places where history was made, 
Ellis Island or the waters of Pearl Harbor. The initiative's National 
Digital Newspaper Program is making millions of pages of historic 
American newspapers accessible online. Countless students and teachers 
and historians will benefit from these important first drafts of 
history.
    In all these ways, ``We the People'' does an outstanding job of 
passing America's rich heritage on to future generations. Today I'm 
pleased to unveil a new project under this program, the Picturing 
America Initiative. This initiative will educate children about the 
great people and places and moments in our history using American art 
and masterpieces that depict them.
    It's much better for us to hear about educational programs from 
someone who's probably more qualified than me--[laughter]--like a former 
teacher or a librarian. [Laughter] And so it's my honor to welcome 
Laura, the First Lady.

Note: The President spoke at 2:47 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Supreme Court Justice Antonin 
Scalia; and Italy's Ambassador to the U.S. Giovanni Castellaneta. The 
transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary also included 
the remarks of the First Lady.