Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 101 Part 3.djvu/872

 101 STAT. 2170

PROCLAMATION 5683—JULY 20, 1987

Czechs have long sought hberty and opportunity in the United States, and they have distinguished themselves here in every field of endeavor—in science, religion, literature, the professions, business, labor, the armed forces, the arts, government, sports, and countless other fields. Among the first North Americans ever canonized was a Czech American, St. John Nepomucene Neumann, a missionary and later a bishop of Philadelphia in the 19th century. In that century hundreds of thousands of Czechs came to America, seeking freedom and economic opportunity. In this century as well, Czechs have sought freedom in this country from Nazi and Soviet oppression— most recently from the brutal Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Connections of Czechs and America flow in both directions. The United States is inextricably linked to the founding of Czechoslovakia. President Woodrow Wilson strongly advocated independence for Czechs and others. The Czechoslovak Declaration of Independence was drafted in Washington, D.C., and the Constitution of the first Czechoslovak Republic was modelled on the United States Constitution, whose bicentennial we observe this year. The great statesman Thomas Masaryk, who married an American, cited the profound influence of the writings of Thomas Jefferson and other American democrats on his own philosophy. To recognize the contributions of Czech Americans to our country and to encourage the American people to learn more about this legacy, the Congress, by Public Law 100-69, has designated the period beginning July 27, 1987, and ending on August 2, 1987, as "National Czech American Heritage Week" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in its observance. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the period beginning July 27, 1987, and ending August 2, 1987, as National Czech American Heritage Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this week with appropriate ceremonies and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of July, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twelfth.

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Proclamation 5683 of July 20, 1987

RONALD REAGAN


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International Special Olympics Week and Day, 1987

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By the President of the United States of America -.. v r; A Proclamation The 1987 VII International Summer Special Olympic Games, to be held from July 31 to August 8 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, will host 6,000 athletes, 15,000 volunteers, and thousands of guests from around the United States and the world. Every American can be grateful for the many dedicated and selfless organizers of these games, the largest worldwide amateur sporting event of the year.

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