Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 91.djvu/1741

 PROCLAMATION 4475—OCT. 25, 1976

91 STAT. 1707

The early settlers of this land possessed an unconquerable spirit and a reliance on Divine Providence that remains a part of the American character. That reliance, coupled with a belief in our selves and a love of individual freedom, has brought this Nation through two centuries of progress and kept us strong. As we cross the threshold into our third century as a sovereign and independent Nation, it is especially appropriate that we reaffirm our trust in Him and express our gratitude for the unity, freedom and renewed sense of national pride we enjoy today. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GERALD R. FORD, President of the United States of America, in accord with Section 6103 of Title 5 of the United States Code, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 25, 1976, as a day of national thanksgiving. I call upon all Americans to join on that day with their friends and families in homes and places of worship throughout the land to offer thanks for the blessings we enjoy. Let each of us resolve this Thanksgiving Day to make the coming year one in which our every deed will reflect our constant gratitude to God. Let us set a standard of honor, justice, and charity against which all the years of our third century may be measured. Let us make this Thanksgiving a truly special one. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred seventy-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and first. GERALD R. FORD

Proclamation 4475

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October 25, 1976

Wright Brothers Day, 1976

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

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On December 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, two brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, revolutionized transportation when they made the first successful flight in a heavier-than-air, powered aircraft. On that memorable day, 73 years ago, those two Americans laid the foundation for modern aviation. The phenomenal advances in aviation and space technology since that first successful adventure are now portrayed in the new National Air and Space Museum in our Nation's Capital. It is particularly fitting to recognize, in this year of our Nation's Bicentennial, the determination and ingenuity displayed by the Wright brothers during the years of experimentation in developing their airplane. These traits are symbolic of the American spirit and of the American commitment to make this a better world. To commemorate the historic achievements of the Wright brothers, the Congress, by a joint resolution of December 17, 1963 (77 Stat. 402, 36 U.S.C. 169), designated the seventeenth day of December of each year as Wright Brothers Day and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation inviting the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

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