Bill of Rights Day, 2023

Proclamation 10686 of December 14, 2023

Bill of Rights Day, 2023

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On December 15, 1791, after years of debate and
deliberation, our forebearers ratified the Bill of
Rights. In doing so, they forever enshrined the
fundamental rights and liberties we hold sacred as
Americans and set in motion the greatest self-
governance experiment in the history of the world.

The freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights--the
freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, privacy,
and more--have helped define who we are as a people and
served as our Nation's enduring North Star. The 17
additional Amendments that have been ratified since
have opened the doors of opportunity wider to each new
generation. But time and again we have been reminded
that progress is not linear and freedom is never
guaranteed; it requires constant vigilance.

The Supreme Court took away a constitutional right from
the American people, denying women across the Nation
the right to choose, a right that had been enshrined in
a half-century of precedent. In recent years, more than
20 States have passed laws that make it harder to vote.
A wave of anti-LGBTQI+ bills is threatening Americans'
freedom to live openly and authentically. As a Nation,
we have a duty to oppose these regressions and defend
the values represented in our founding documents.

As President, I act on that duty every day. In the wake
of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade,
I issued three Executive Orders to protect a woman's
ability to access comprehensive reproductive health
care services. I continue to call on the Congress to
restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in Federal law.
Because the right to vote and have your vote counted is
the threshold of democracy, I continue to urge the
Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John
Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. These bills would
restore and expand access to the ballot and prevent
voter suppression. I was also proud to sign the
Electoral Count Reform Act, helping preserve the will
of the people and protect the peaceful transfer of
power. My Administration has made strides in defending
the rights and dignity of the LGBTQI+ community. On my
first day in office, I signed a historic Executive
Order charging the Federal Government with protecting
LGBTQI+ people from discrimination. Last December,
surrounded by dozens of couples who have fought for
marriage equality in the courts for decades, I had the
great honor of signing into law the landmark Respect
for Marriage Act to protect the rights of same-sex and
interracial couples.

It is worth giving our all for the rights and liberties
that undergird our democracy, for they define the soul
of our Nation. This cause should unite every one of us,
regardless of political affiliation. In the face of
threats posed to our institutions, we must remember
that democracies do not have to die violently--they can
die quietly, when people fail to stand up for the
values and guarantees enshrined in our Nation's
Constitution. This Bill of Rights Day, let us all
recommit to safeguarding the fundamental freedoms
secured in those first 10 Amendments and those that
followed. In our lives and in the life of our Nation,
let us keep marching toward our North Star--making real
the promise of dignity, equality, and opportunity for
all.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 15,
2023, as Bill of Rights Day. I call upon the people of
the United States to observe this day with appropriate
ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fourteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
eighth.