Citizenship Day and Constitution Week, 1998

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Part V

The President

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Proclamation 7123--Citizenship Day and Constitution Week, 1998

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7123 of September 16, 1998

Citizenship Day and Constitution Week, 1998

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Two hundred eleven years ago, on September 17, 1787,
our Nation's Founders signed the Constitution that
established our system of government. This
extraordinary document, the product of passionate
debate and grudging compromise, was crafted by a
handful of individuals in the late 18th century; yet it
has safely charted America's course through more than
two centuries of enormous change and growth and has
served as the model for democratic governments around
the globe.

The United States Constitution has endured in large
part because of its remarkable fairness and
flexibility. It created an inspired balance of powers
and responsibilities among the executive, legislative,
and judicial branches of government and among the
Federal Government, the States, and individual
citizens. It also provided for a system of amendment
that allows our democracy to correct past errors and
omissions and to respond to new challenges. As we mark
this anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, we
celebrate the effort, the dedication, and the wisdom of
our Founders and the blessings of liberty that resulted
from their labors.

We also celebrate those who have struggled to move
America closer to fulfilling the first and fundamental
purpose expressed in the Constitution: ``. . . to form
a more perfect Union.'' Among these heroes were the
thousands who fought and died during the Civil War to
keep our Nation united and to banish slavery from our
land. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution is the
fruit of their sacrifice: ``Neither slavery nor
involuntary servitude . . . shall exist within the
United States.'' The courageous women and men who met
at Seneca Falls, New York, 150 years ago also set the
highest standards of citizenship. Recognizing that
women, too, are entitled to share in America's promise
of equality, they began a crusade that resulted in the
ratification of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women
the right to vote. Likewise, we honor American citizens
of our century, black and white, who worked together,
faced danger together, and sometimes died together in
the struggle to end racial injustice in our society and
move our Nation closer to the constitutional ideal of
equality under the law. The 24th Amendment,
guaranteeing all citizens the right to vote, reflects
their spirit and commitment to true democracy.

As we seek to form a more perfect union at home, we
also bear the responsibilities of citizenship in our
world community. Throughout our history, we have sought
to secure the blessings of liberty not only for
ourselves, but for all people everywhere. We remember
the Americans who fought two world wars against tyranny
and oppression and who triumphed in the Cold War
through faith in the promise of democracy. These men
and women cared so intensely about our Nation and their
fellow human beings that they were willing to forego
their own comfort and sometimes even to sacrifice their
own lives for the ideal of freedom envisioned by our
Founders.

In commemoration of the signing of the Constitution and
in recognition of the importance of active, responsible
citizenship in preserving the Constitution's blessings
for our Nation, the Congress, by joint resolution of
February 29, 1952 (36 U.S.C. 153), designated September
17 as ``Citizenship Day,'' and by joint resolution of
August 2, 1956 (36 U.S.C. 159), requested that the
President proclaim the week beginning September 17 and
ending September 23 of each year as ``Constitution
Week.''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim September
17, 1998, as Citizenship Day and September 17 through
September 23, 1998, as Constitution Week. I call upon
Federal, State, and local officials, as well as leaders
of civic, educational, and religious organizations, to
conduct meaningful ceremonies and programs in our
schools, houses of worship, and other community centers
to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of
the Constitution and the rights and duties of
citizenship.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-third.