Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, Constitution Week, 2014, 56471-56474 [2014-22549]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 182 (Friday, September 19, 2014)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 56471-56474]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22549]



[[Page 56471]]

Vol. 79

Friday,

No. 182

September 19, 2014

Part III





The President





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Proclamation 9168--Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, Constitution 
Week, 2014



Notice of September 17, 2014--Continuation of the National Emergency 
With Respect to Persons Who Commit, Threaten To Commit, or Support 
Terrorism


                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 79 , No. 182 / Friday, September 19, 2014 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 56473]]

                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.''

[[Page 56474]]

                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.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2014-22549
Filed 9-18-14; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F4