Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and Constitution Week, 2024

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 182 (Thursday, September 19, 2024)]

[Presidential Documents]

[Pages 76709-76710]

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[FR Doc No: 2024-21565]

Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 182 / Thursday, September 19, 2024 /

Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--

The President

[[Page 76709]]

Proclamation 10812 of September 16, 2024

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and

Constitution Week, 2024

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

It has been said that, when he was leaving the

Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked

whether the Founding Fathers had given America a

monarchy or a republic, and he replied: ``A republic,

if you can keep it.'' The Founders put the power to

decide our Nation's future in the hands of ``We the

People.'' On Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and

during Constitution Week, we recommit to preserving our

republic, perfecting our Union, and ensuring our

democracy survives and thrives.

Our Constitution established that our Nation would be a

democracy, meaning the rule of the people--not of

monarchs, the monied, or the mighty. It gave us the

separation of powers and checks and balances so that we

would be a country that respects the institutions that

govern a free society. And it remains the bulwark to

prevent the abuse of power and ensures that ``We the

People'' move forward together under the law

monarchs, the monied, or the mighty. It gave us the

separation of powers and checks and balances so that we

would be a country that respects the institutions that

govern a free society. And it remains the bulwark to

prevent the abuse of power and ensures that ``We the

People'' move forward together under the law. We are

all responsible for maintaining our democracy--not only

by adhering to the Constitution but also by our

character and the habits of our hearts and minds. All

of us must join the march to perfect our Union by

protecting and expanding our rights with each

successive generation.

I believe America is at an inflection point, one of

those rare moments in history when the decisions we

make now will determine the fate of our Nation and the

world for decades to come. That is why we must continue

to protect the rights guaranteed by our Constitution

and the values that make our Nation who we are. We must

protect the right to vote--it is the threshold of

democracy: with it, anything is possible, and without

it, nothing is. Vice President Harris and I continue to

call on the Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act

and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to

expand voting rights and prevent voter suppression. We

will continue to work to protect women's reproductive

freedoms and their constitutional right to choose. We

continue to call on the Congress to restore the

protections of Roe v. Wade in Federal law once and for

all

ng Rights Advancement Act to

expand voting rights and prevent voter suppression. We

will continue to work to protect women's reproductive

freedoms and their constitutional right to choose. We

continue to call on the Congress to restore the

protections of Roe v. Wade in Federal law once and for

all. And we will continue to preserve and strengthen

our democracy and will never walk away from the values

that have made us the greatest Nation in the history of

the world: freedom and liberty.

Today, we also celebrate the rights and

responsibilities of citizenship. From those who were

born in this country to our naturalized citizens,

America remains a great country because we are a good

people. We are a Nation of promise and possibilities,

of dreamers and doers, and of ordinary Americans doing

extraordinary things. May we welcome our Nation's

newest citizens, whose stories embody the hope of the

American Dream and whose contributions strengthen our

country.

On Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and during

Constitution Week, we recognize that the power to build

a freer, more prosperous, and more just future lies in

the hands of the American people. And we recommit to

fulfilling the sacred tasks of our time--to ensure

democracy prevails and to preserve our constitutional

protections for generations to come.

[[Page 76710]]

tution Week, we recognize that the power to build

a freer, more prosperous, and more just future lies in

the hands of the American people. And we recommit to

fulfilling the sacred tasks of our time--to ensure

democracy prevails and to preserve our constitutional

protections for generations to come.

[[Page 76710]]

To honor the timeless principles enshrined in our

Constitution, the Congress has, by joint resolution of

February 29, 1952 (36 U.S.C. 106), designated September

17 as ``Constitution Day and Citizenship Day'' and

authorized the President to issue a proclamation

calling on United States officials to display the flag

of the United States on all Government buildings on

that day. By joint resolution of August 2, 1956 (36

U.S.C. 108), the Congress further requested that the

President proclaim the week beginning September 17 and

ending September 23 of each year as ``Constitution

Week.''

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 September 17,

2024, as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and

September 17 through September 23 as Constitution Week.

On this day and during this week, we celebrate our

Constitution and the rights of citizenship that we

enjoy together as the proud people of this Nation.

of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 17,

2024, as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and

September 17 through September 23 as Constitution Week.

On this day and during this week, we celebrate our

Constitution and the rights of citizenship that we

enjoy together as the proud people of this Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two

thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the

United States of America the two hundred and forty-

ninth.

(Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-21565

Filed 9-18-24; 8:45 am]

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