[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 34 (Monday, September 1, 2008)]
[Page 1154]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 8278--Women's Equality Day, 2008

 August 22, 2008

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    With vision and determination, American women have helped build our 
great Nation. On Women's Equality Day, we remember the dedication of 
women who overcame many obstacles in order to secure the right to vote.
    The struggle for women's rights is a story of strong women willing 
to take the lead and pave the way toward equal voting rights for all 
American citizens. In 1848, a group of determined women came together in 
Seneca Falls, New York, to proclaim that ``all men and women are created 
equal,'' and demand suffrage. On August 26, 1920, their voices were 
finally heard, and the 19th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed 
women the right to vote.
    As we look back on the journey to women gaining suffrage, we 
remember the sacrifices of people like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth 
Cady Stanton. More than 160 years after the Seneca Falls Convention, we 
celebrate the spirit, leadership, and hard work of those pioneering 
women. We also recognize the women who continue in this tradition by 
acting as role models in their communities, helping raise the next 
generation of Americans, leading in their professions, and serving in 
the Armed Forces protecting our country. These women are continuing on 
the path set by those who came before them, so that all Americans can 
realize the great promise of our Nation.
     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 August 26, 2008, as 
Women's Equality Day. I call upon the people of the United States to 
celebrate the achievements of women and observe this day with 
appropriate programs and activities.
     In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second 
day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
third.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 9:33 a.m., August 26, 
2008]

Note: This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on August 25, and it was published in the Federal Register on 
August 27.