Presidential Document2022-20578
Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and Constitution Week, 2022
Primary source
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Published
September 21, 2022
Signed
September 16, 2022
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 182 (Wednesday, September 21, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 21, 2022)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 57561-57562]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-20578]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 87 , No. 182 / Wednesday, September 21, 2022
/ Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 57561]]
Proclamation 10448 of September 16, 2022
Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and
Constitution Week, 2022
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
America is founded on the most powerful idea in
history--that we are all created equal. That idea
sparked our revolution, ignited a wave of change across
the world, and beats in the hearts of Americans today.
It is central to our Constitution, and citizenship
embodies a true faith and allegiance to give it full
meaning in our everyday lives. On this Constitution Day
and Citizenship Day, and during this Constitution Week,
we recommit to protecting and defending the very idea
of America.
When our Founding Fathers came together nearly 250
years ago, they set in motion an experiment that
changed the world. They disagreed and debated but
ultimately came together to forge a new system of self-
government--a system balanced between a strong Federal
Government and the States, held together by co-equal
branches and a separation of powers. America would not
be a land of kings or dictators; it would be a Nation
of laws--a Nation of order, not chaos; of peace, not
violence. Here in America, the people rule through the
ballot, and their will prevails.
As we have seen throughout our history, though, nothing
about our democracy is guaranteed. America is an idea--
one that requires constant stewardship. We have to
fight for it, earn it, and renew it with each
generation. That is why my Administration will do
everything in our power to uphold and defend our
Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic,
and to protect the rights and freedoms that it promises
us all. That means we have to be firm, resolute, and
unyielding in defending the right to vote and ensuring
that each vote is counted. It is a sacred right from
which all others flow. But last year alone, nearly 20
States passed laws to make it harder to vote--not only
to suppress the vote, but to subvert it. I have
directed Federal agencies to promote voting access, and
I appointed top civil rights advocates to the
Department of Justice, which has doubled its voting
rights staff. We need the Congress to finally pass the
Freedom to Vote and John Lewis Voting Rights
Advancement Acts to prevent voter suppression, protect
election officials, ban dark money, and end partisan
gerrymandering, preserving our democracy and the spirit
of our Constitution.
As we reflect today on the promise of our Nation, we
also join millions of Americans in reaffirming the
rights and responsibilities of citizenship and
welcoming our new citizens, whose courage and faith in
America has brought them here from every part of the
world to start new lives. My Administration will keep
working to make the naturalization process faster and
more efficient and to build a more fair, orderly, and
humane immigration system for all. The commitment,
sacrifices, and dreams of new Americans have made us
strong since our Nation's founding, and we celebrate
their optimism, drive, and contributions.
We are living at an inflection point in history,
engaged in a struggle between democracy and autocracy
at home and abroad. We have to show the world that
democracy can deliver. Today, this week, and always, it
is up to us all to stand for the rule of law, to
preserve the flame of democracy, and to keep the
promise of America alive.
[[Page 57562]]
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,
2022, 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
together we enjoy as the people of this proud Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
seventh.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2022-20578
Filed 9-20-22; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 21, 2022.
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