Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 90 Part 2.djvu/1623

 PROCLAMATION 4431—APR. 14, 1976

90 STAT. 3091

Today, less than one hundred days before the 200th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we observe the birthday of Thomas Jefferson, a giant in history who yet today excites scholars, inspires political leaders and continues to grace our history as its most articulate champion of individual freedom. Pursuant to Proclamation No. 2276 of March 21, 1938, our Nation has formally 52 Stat. 1537. celebrated the 13th of April in honor of the birthday, in 1743 of this great man. In our Bicentennial Year, it is fitting that we celebrate this day in a special way, as the Congress has requested (H.J. Res. 670). ^n'e, p. 328. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GERALD R. FOR D, President of the United States of America, do hereby request the observance of Tuesday, April 13, 1976, as Thomas Jefferson Day. I ask all Americans, in their homes, their schools, and their places of work, to reflect on the life and times of Thomas Jefferson. I urge every American to reflect on the meaning and purpose of the Declaration of Independence and the many other works of Thomas Jefferson and to participate in other appropriate ceremonies and activities. I N W I T N E S S WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and seventy-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundredth. GERALD R.

FORD

EDITORIAL NOTE: The President's remarks of Apr. 13, 1976, on the commemoration of Thomas Jefferson's birth, are printed in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (vol. 12, p. 646).

Proclamation 4431

April 14, 1976

Loyalty Day, 1976

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By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

The idea that a free people—dedicated to the rule of law, freedom of expression, and equality—have the inherent right, ability, and duty to govern themselves, is one that compels our devotion and dedication. Such allegiance, grounded in a "solemn sense of God's superintending Providence," is the bulwark upon which this Nation was built and has endured for two hundred years. Recognizing the need for "a special day for the reaffirmation of loyalty to the United States of America and for the recognition of the heritage of American freedom", the Congress, by a joint resolution approved July 18, 1958 (72 Stat. 369, 36 U.S.C. 162), designated May 1 of each year as Loyalty Day. I n our Bicentennial Year, it is especially fitting that we dramatize in a positive way the principles of freedom which have guided us through two centuries.

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