For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 12, 2001
Thomas Jefferson Day, 2001
By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation
Our Nation's Founding Fathers overcame
enormous obstacles to establish a system of government unequaled in
history. We are the beneficiaries of their sacrifice,
courage, and honor. But among these legendary patriots,
Thomas Jefferson remains unique as the one who articulated the
essential values and principles of American liberty and
freedom. Today, we gather here to celebrate the birthday of
Thomas Jefferson and to reflect on his enduring contributions to the
United States and the world.
Few Americans have shaped our collective
destiny as thoroughly and as originally as Thomas
Jefferson. His achievements are breathtaking in their scope
and diversity. Beyond his achievements in public life as
Governor of Virginia, author of the Statute of Virginia for Religious
Freedom, Secretary of State, third President of the United States, and
founder of the University of Virginia, Jefferson was a scholar, author,
naturalist, inventor, bibliophile, and architect.
As President, Jefferson supported the Lewis
and Clark expedition and concluded the $15 million purchase of the
Louisiana Territory from France. He sold his personal library to the
Library of Congress to replace its collection destroyed by the British
in the War of 1812.
Thomas Jefferson's crowning achievement,
however, was the Declaration of Independence. As its primary
author, Jefferson drafted an immortal document that altered the way the
world viewed the relationship between government and the
governed. Jefferson's assertion of "inalienable rights"
including "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" established the
democratic standard by which our Nation would measure
itself. Many other nations and peoples likewise strive to
measure up to the standard set forth in the Declaration of
Independence.
Thomas Jefferson's words are as thrilling and
inspiring in 2001 as they must have been to his revolutionary allies in
1776. Our Nation has changed, our technology has progressed,
but our basic love for liberty and freedom remains the
same. As proud Americans, we must work together to maintain
the vigor and strength of Jefferson's vision and to fulfill its promise
of a better life for all our citizens. Doing this is our
responsibility, and our gift, to the man who laid the foundation for
what became the freest nation in the world.
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 of America, do
hereby proclaim April 13, 2001, as Thomas Jefferson Day. I
encourage all Americans to join in this celebration of Thomas
Jefferson's achievements, and to learn more about his unique influence
on our history, traditions, and values.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my
hand this twelfth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand
one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-fifth.
GEORGE
W. BUSH
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