FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
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Corporation for National and Community Service
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Remarks by the President at the Rededication of the National Archives |
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Multimedia |
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The National Archives
Washington, D.C.
11:00 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Speaker Hastert, Mr. Chief Justice, Justice Kennedy, Justice
Thomas, Senator Frist and Senator Daschle, Representative Pelosi, members of
Congress, Governor Carlin, ladies and gentlemen: Laura and I are pleased to join
with all of you for this morning's important ceremony. And all of us here today
are honored to witness the unveiling of our Declaration of Independence, our
original Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Because of the careful, patient work carried out these last two years, all
Americans, and visitors from across the world can once again step forward and
see our nation's founding documents.
This new display is certainly preferable to the burlap sacks once used to
carry the Declaration. Since the Declaration of Independence first left
Philadelphia in a horse cart, the founding documents have been moved many times,
including a secret trip to Fort Knox during World War II. For the last
half-century, their home has been this rotunda.
When President Harry Truman stood here 51 years ago, he rightly praised
modern methods of document preservation. These methods served us well. In our
day, preservation has become an even higher art, through the skill of
conservators like those who accepted this very demanding assignment. The work of
handling the fragile parchment and preparing it for these new encasements had to
be difficult -- and must have been pretty nerve-wracking. I don't know how you
practice for a job like that. (Laughter.) But I do know there's little margin
for error.
And so, to all the professionals involved in this great task, we thank you
for your work, and we thank you for the contribution to our country.
Many Americans have seen reproductions of the Declaration of Independence. A
lot of us have seen reproductions of the Constitution. We know so well the first
three words of our Constitution, "We the people." Yet, as familiar as these
documents are, to see them in their originals is a moving experience. I hope a
lot of our fellow citizens come to this rotunda and see firsthand the work of
our founding fathers.
Looking at the faded names of Hancock and Adams and Jefferson, Franklin, and
others, you can better see the bravery behind the stirring words declaring
independence. It was one thing to nod in agreement as the text was read and
approved. It's quite another to take the quill and add your name, becoming at
that instant the enemy of an empire. And each of the signers, as his pen moved
across the page, had not only reached a great turning point in his own life, but
in the life of the world. The true revolution was not to defy one earthly power,
but to declare principles that stand above every earthly power -- the equality
of each person before God, and the responsibility of government to secure the
rights of all.
The courage of America's first leaders gave us the Declaration. Their
patience and wisdom gave us the Constitution. They were patient through long and
contentious and learned debates and discussions. They were wise in their
understanding of human nature, with all its virtues and all the temptations. The
supreme law of this land is the work of practical minds addressed to practical
questions, like how to govern effectively and also limit the powers of
government; how to represent the will of the people and to control the passions
of temporary majorities.
Framers devised answers that can now be found in constitutions across the
world -- separate branches, enumerated powers, checks and balances, specific
protections of the Bill of Rights. Taken together, our founding documents set a
standard that is the test and the burden of every generation. The text written
by a slave-holder would become an unanswerable brief against slavery. The
Constitution drafted and approved by men alone would, by its own logic,
eventually assure the full participation of women. The ideals of our founders
were stronger than any flaws of the founders. They rebuke our failures and guide
our reforms.
"These charters of freedom," said Martin Luther King, "are a promissory note.
a pledge of justice to all who are denied it." In the course of two centuries,
the ideals of our founding documents have defined America's purposes in the
world. Since July 4th, 1776, to this very day, Americans have seen freedom's
power to overcome tyranny, to inspire hope even in times of great trial, to turn
the creative gifts of men and women to the pursuits of peace.
We have seen freedom's power in Europe and Asia and Africa and Latin America,
and we will see freedom's power in the Middle East. Every person in every
culture has the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness. America owns the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution,
but the ideals they proclaim belong to all mankind.
This morning, exactly 216 years after the Constitutional Convention finished
its business, the American people can take pride in the care we have given to
preserving the work of the founding generation. Their words first guided a
nation of scarcely 4 million souls. Yet even in their own day, the founders knew
they had put large events in motion, and free people everywhere remain in their
debt.
In this rotunda are the most cherished material possessions of a great and
good nation. By this rededication, we show our deep respect for the first
principles of our republic, and our lasting gratitude to those first citizens of
the United States of America.
May God continue to bless our country. Thank you. (Applause.)
END 11:09 A.M. EDT
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