For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 26, 2004
Women's Equality Day, 2004
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
On Women's Equality Day, we recognize the hard work and
perseverance of those who helped secure women's suffrage in the United
States. With the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the
Constitution in 1920, American women gained one of the most cherished
rights and fundamental responsibilities of citizenship: the right to
vote.
The struggle for women's suffrage in America dates back to the
founding of our country. The movement began in earnest at the Seneca
Falls Convention in 1848, when women drafted a Declaration of
Sentiments proclaiming they had the same rights as men. In 1916,
Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first American woman elected to
the United States House of Representatives, despite the fact that her
fellow women would not be able to vote nationally for 4 more years.
These women and many more like them worked to ensure that future
generations of women could realize the promise of America.
Today, American women are leaders in business, government, law,
science, medicine, the arts, education, and many other fields.
Women-owned businesses account for nearly half of all privately held
firms and are opening at twice the rate of male-owned businesses.
Through vision, determination, and a strong work ethic, remarkable
American women have broadened opportunities for themselves and women
around the world.
The full participation of women and the protection of their rights
as citizens are essential for freedom and democracy to flourish. In
Afghanistan, women helped draft their country's new constitution in
January 2004, which guarantees free elections and full participation by
women. These women are eager to exercise their rights and are
registering to vote in great numbers; about 40 percent of those
registered to vote in the October Afghan Presidential elections are
women. In Iraq, women are members of the new interim Iraqi government
and the recently established National Council. They also participated
in drafting the Transitional Administrative Law, which prohibits
discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, or religion and
requires that 25 percent of the new legislature be women. In the face
of great challenges, Iraqi women are building a better nation for
themselves and their families.
As we look to the future, we celebrate the extraordinary
accomplishments of women in America and throughout the world and renew
our commitment to equality for all women, both at home and abroad.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 26, 2004, as
Women's Equality Day. I call upon the people of the United States to
observe this day with appropriate programs and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth
day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-ninth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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