Presidential Document2021-27540
Bill of Rights Day, 2021
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
December 17, 2021
Signed
December 14, 2021
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 240 (Friday, December 17, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 240 (Friday, December 17, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 71787-71788]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-27540]
[[Page 71785]]
Vol. 86
Friday,
No. 240
December 17, 2021
Part III
The President
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Proclamation 10323--Bill of Rights Day, 2021
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 86 , No. 240 / Friday, December 17, 2021 /
Presidential Documents
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Title 3--
The President
[[Page 71787]]
Proclamation 10323 of December 14, 2021
Bill of Rights Day, 2021
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
More than two centuries ago, our Founders drafted the
Constitution in order to create an American Government
that could act with urgency on national issues without
compromising individual rights and freedoms. They had
the genius not only to craft such a Government but to
foresee their own fallibility as well. In their
foresight, they made the charter at the heart of our
Nation a living document--including within it a process
by which it could be amended to evolve and keep pace
with the wisdom of passing time.
Opportunities to improve our Constitution have been
contemplated since its inception. On December 15, 1791,
three-fourths of the existing State legislatures
ratified the first 10 Amendments of the Constitution--
the Bill of Rights. These Amendments protect some of
the most indispensable rights and liberties that define
us as Americans. Though we have often struggled to live
up to the promises they contain, 230 years after the
ratification of the Bill of Rights, respect for human
rights and fundamental freedoms remains at the center
of our democracy.
The Bill of Rights is important not only in the
freedoms it protects but in its demonstration of
America's enduring commitment to self-improvement and
striving to continuously form a ``more perfect union.''
Since 1791, 17 additional Amendments have been ratified
for a total of 27 Amendments to the Constitution. From
the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery; to the
14th Amendment, which guaranteed birthright
citizenship, promised ``equal protection under the
laws,'' and safeguarded fundamental rights and fair
process; to the several Amendments devoted to
prohibiting electoral discrimination based on race,
sex, age, and the inability to afford a tax; to the
most recent amendment ratified in 1992 to keep members
of Congress more responsive to their voters--our
history of amending the Constitution illustrates that
improving our democracy is the shared and constant duty
of all Americans. Democracy's greatest strength is the
ability it provides its citizens to improve their
system of governance, which is why democracy is
uniquely suited to face the challenges of a changing
world.
Just as our Founders overcame their differences to form
the democracy we know today, our country continues to
confront its problems head-on and work together to fix
them, even in the face of disagreements. Respectful
disagreement is healthy and American--indeed, it is
protected by the Bill of Rights itself--but there is no
place in a democracy for threats or violence.
Earlier this month, the United States hosted the first
ever Summit for Democracy, where Governmental and non-
governmental leaders from around the world came
together to set forth an affirmative agenda for
democratic renewal and to tackle the greatest threats
faced by democracies today through collective action.
By working with our democratic partners, we can meet
the challenges of today and tomorrow.
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 December 15,
2021,
[[Page 71788]]
as Bill of Rights Day. I call upon the people of the
United States to observe this day with appropriate
ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fourteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
sixth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2021-27540
Filed 12-16-21; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on December 17, 2021.
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