Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, Constitution Week, 2014

Proclamation 9168 of September 16, 2014

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day,
Constitution Week, 2014

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Eleven years after a small band of patriots declared
the independence of our new Nation, our Framers set out
to refine the promise of liberty and codify the
principles of our Republic. Though the topics were
contentious and the debate fierce, the delegates'
shared ideals and commitment to a more perfect Union
yielded compromise. Signed on September 17, 1787, our
Constitution enshrined--in parchment and in the heart
of our young country--the foundation of justice,
equality, dignity, and fairness, and became the
cornerstone of the world's oldest constitutional
democracy.

For more than two centuries, our founding charter has
guided our progress and defined us as a people. It has
endured as a society of farmers and merchants advanced
to form the most dynamic economy on earth; as a small
army of militias grew to the finest military the world
has ever known; and as a Nation of 13 original States
expanded to 50, from sea to shining sea. Our Founders
could not have foreseen the challenges our country has
faced, but they crafted an extraordinary document. It
allowed for protest and new ideas that would broaden
democracy's reach. And it stood the test of a civil
war, after which it provided the framework to usher in
a new birth of freedom through the 13th, 14th, and 15th
Amendments.

America's revolutionary experiment in democracy has,
from its first moments, been a beacon of hope and
opportunity for people around the world, inspiring some
to call for freedom in their own land and others to
seek the blessings of liberty in ours. The United
States has always been a nation of immigrants. We are
strengthened by our diversity and united by our
fidelity to a set of tenets. We know it is not only our
bloodlines or an accident of birth that make us
Americans. It is our firm belief that out of many we
are one; that we are united by our convictions and our
unalienable rights. Each year on Citizenship Day, we
recognize our newest citizens whose journeys have been
made possible by our founding documents and whose
contributions have given meaning to our charter's
simple words.

Our Constitution reflects the values we cherish as a
people and the ideals we strive for as a society. It
secures the privileges we enjoy as citizens, but also
demands participation, responsibility, and service to
our country and to one another. As we celebrate our
Nation's strong and durable framework, we are reminded
that our work is never truly done. Let us renew our
commitment to these sacred principles and resolve to
advance their spirit in our time.

In remembrance of the signing of the Constitution and
in recognition of the Americans who strive to uphold
the duties and responsibilities of citizenship, the
Congress, by joint resolution of February 29, 1952 (36
U.S.C. 106), designated September 17 as ``Constitution
Day and Citizenship Day,'' and by joint resolution of
August 2, 1956 (36 U.S.C. 108), requested that the
President proclaim the week beginning September 17 and
ending September 23 of each year as ``Constitution
Week.''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim September
17, 2014, as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and
September 17 through September 23, 2014, as
Constitution Week. I encourage Federal, State, and
local officials, as well as leaders of civic, social,
and educational organizations, to conduct ceremonies
and programs that bring together community members to
reflect on the importance of active citizenship,
recognize the enduring strength of our Constitution,
and reaffirm our commitment to the rights and
obligations of citizenship in this great Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two
thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
ninth.