Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 96 Part 2.djvu/1337

 PROCLAMATION 4900—FEB. 22, 1982

96 STAT. 2699

Although chartered by Congress to perform specific duties, the Red Cross relies upon the time and funds of each of us to carry out its work. I urge the American people to assist our Red Cross by giving financial aid and volunteering their time so that, as the 1982 Red Cross theme says, "Together We Can Change Things." NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America and Honorary Chairman of the American National Red Cross, do hereby designate March 1982 as Red Cross Month. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of Feb., in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and sixth. RONALD REAGAN

Proclamation 4900 of February 22, 1982

The 250th Anniversary of the Birth of George Washington By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation This month we commemorate the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the birth of George Washington, victorious commander of the American Revolution, chief advocate and President of the Constitutional Convention, and first President of the United States, unquestionably one of our greatest leaders. His considerable wisdom, unflagging energy, dogged perseverance, profound faith in God, clear vision, and unswerving dedication to democratic principles contributed indispensably to the success of the American Revolution, the formulation and ratification of the United States Constitution and the establishment of the United States as a democratic federal republic. As a soldier, he provided determined leadership, inspiring his men and sharing their lot in times of adversity. He took a group of farmers, tinkers, and store clerks and forged them into the Continental Army, a fighting instrument able to meet and best the finest professional troops in the world. Trusting in the rightness of his cause and, as he put it, in "the miraculous care of Providence," he proved his valor by leading his men into battle time after time during the long years of war. As a citizen, he exemplified the ideal of the soldier in a democratic society, resigning his commission at war's end and retiring to the private pursuits of his beloved home. Mount Vernon. Yet, in his great vision, he saw the need for a better form of government, which would bind the sovereign States into an indissoluble Federal Union, while at the same time preserving and enhancing their unique role. To this end, he sponsored the Mount Vernon Conference, which led ultimately to the Philadelphia Convention in 1787. As a statesman, he made his greatest and most lasting contribution to our American Nation. He presided with both tact and firmness over the Philadelphia Convention, guiding its members in drafting our charter of government so aptly described as the most important document ever composed by the hand of man at one time. Finally, heeding the call of his fellow citizens, he served as first President of the United States, setting precedents and establishing a standard to which all his successors can honorably aspire.

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