Proclamation 5403

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

From their very beginnings, the colonies that later were to form the United States of America set great store by the education of the young, and with the birth of the New Nation this commitment to education deepened. Our Founding Fathers shared the insight of an ancient sage that "only the educated are free," and they took to heart the inspired maxim that it is the truth which sets us free. To them it was clear that since here the people would rule, the people must have the means to understand the issues and to make wise decisions. As James Madison put it: "On the diffusion of education among the people rest the preservation and perpetuation of our free institutions."

American Education Week offers all Americans an invitation to reflect on the importance of education to our Nation, not only to its prosperity but to the proper functioning of our whole system of government. It invites each of us to play a part in the national commitment to sound education and to the constant striving to improve the institutions that provide education at every level, from pre-school through graduate school. American Education Week is a time for all Americans to seek to do something to further the cause of education-whether by involvement in parent-teacher groups, contributions to private educational institutions, serving on local school boards, participation in adult education programs, furthering the utilization of libraries and museums, or any similar activity. For educators it is a time to rededicate themselves to what is surely one of the noblest of callings; and to students it is a challenge to make the best use of the manifold educational opportunities this country offers.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning November 17, 1985, and the first full week preceding the fourth Thursday of November of each succeeding year, as American Education Week, and to observe this time with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and tenth.

RONALD REAGAN

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:49 a.m., October 31, 1985]