Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 109 Part 2.djvu/859

This page needs to be proofread.

PROCLAMATION 6825—SEPT. 16, 1995 109 STAT. 1831 those with disabihties, to live up to his or her full potential, we will infuse our Nation with fresh energy for the challenges before us. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, 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 through September 23, 1995, as "National Rehabilitation Week." I call upon the people of the United States, including government officials, employers, educators, and volunteers, to observe this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities honoring all those who work for self-determination, equal treatment, and full participa- ') tion. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twentieth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 6825 of September 16, 1995 Citizenship Day and Constitution Week, 1995 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Americans, unlike many other peoples, are linked to one another neither by the confines of geography nor by centuries of tradition. Instead, we base our citizenship on a foundation of shared ideals and ideas, bringing gifts from every country, race, and culture. Those whose ancestors came to these shores long ago and first-generation immigrants alike—all are bound by the unique set of principles set forth in the documents that established and continue to define this Nation. We find our heritage in profound words: in the declaration that all men are created equal, endowed with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; in the invitation of liberty extended to the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free; and in the pledge to remain one Nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all. Perhaps the greatest expression of our national identity is the United States Constitution. Adopted on September 17, 1787, the Constitution describes the parameters of our Government and the rights and responsibilities that accompany American citizenship. From its phrases we derive our precious rights to free expression and religious liberty, and we assume the responsibilities of electing our leaders and participating in the workings of government. Yet the genius of the Constitution is not simply in forming "a more perfect Union," but in framing an ideal and providing a means for progress toward its realization. As Abraham Lincoln once stated, our Founding Fathers "meant to set up a standard maxim for free society, which should be familiar to all, and revered by all; constantly looked to, constantly labored for, and even though never perfectly attained, constantly approximated, and thereby constantly spreading and deep-