Citizenship Day and Constitution Week, 2001

Proclamation 7466 of September 17, 2001

Citizenship Day and Constitution Week, 2001

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

As the delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention
in Philadelphia began working on what would become the
United States Constitution, they grasped that a great
democracy must be built on the twin foundations of
national consent to a Federal Government and respect
for individual rights. After more than two centuries of
continual cultural, legal, and economic change, our
unique experiment in self-government has borne
successful witness to the prescient genius and timeless
wisdom of our Founding Fathers. Throughout America's
history, in times of turmoil and peace, liberty and
oppression, our faith in the Constitution's promise of
freedom and democracy has been a steadfast rock of
national stability against the raging seas of political
change. Today, in the face of the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001, we must call upon, more than ever,
the Constitutional principles that make our country
great.

In creating our Nation's Constitutional framework, the
Convention's delegates recognized the dangers inherent
in concentrating too much power in one person, branch,
or institution. They wisely crafted a Government that
balanced the functions and authority of a Federal
system among three separate but equal branches: the
Executive, the Legislative, and the Judicial. As a
further check on central power, the Framers granted
citizens the right to vote, giving them the power to
express their political preferences peacefully and
thereby to effect change in the Government.

The Convention delegates ratified the Constitution on
September 17, 1787, and submitted it to the States for
approval. After much deliberation and discussion at the
State level, the following two concerns emerged from
among those who feared the Constitution's proposed
centralization of Federal power: (1) the threat of
tyranny; and (2) the loss of local control. To address
these fears, our Founders amended the Constitution by
adding a Bill of Rights. These ten amendments provided
a series of clear limits on Federal power and a litany
of protective rights to citizens. This development
underscored the important and enduring Constitutional
principle of enumerated powers, and it set our national
course on a route that would eventually enhance and
expand individual rights and liberties.

Today, our Nation celebrates not only the longest-lived
written Constitution in world history, but also the
enduring commitment of our forebears who upheld the
Constitution's core principles through the travails of
American history. They pursued a more perfect Union as
abolitionists, as suffragists, or as civil rights
activists, successfully seeking Constitutional
amendments that have strengthened the protections
provided to all Americans under law. In so doing, they
rendered the moral resolve of our Nation stronger and
clearer.

Our Republic would surely founder but for the faith and
confidence that we collectively place in our
Constitution. And it could not prosper without our
diligent commitment to upholding the Constitution's
original words and implementing its founding
principles. From the noble efforts of public servants
to the civic acts of local people, our continuous
Constitutional

engagement has proved to be an exceptional feature of
our Nation's prosperous development.

To continue this legacy, each of us must recognize that
we bear a solemn responsibility to promote the ideals
of freedom and opportunity throughout our land. We each
should serve our Nation by actively supporting and
shaping our Government's institutions, by working
together to build strong communities, and by loving our
neighbors. Doing this will ensure that the American
dream will become real for every willing citizen; and,
in fulfilling this call together, we will honor the
spirit of our powerful and enduring Constitution.

The Congress, by joint resolution of February 29, 1952
(36 U.S.C. 106), designated September 17 as
``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, 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 September 17, 2001, as
Citizenship Day and September 17 through September 23,
2001, 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 celebrate our Constitution
and reaffirm our commitment as citizens of our great
Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
two thousand one, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth.

(Presidential Sig.)B