February 22, 1982
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 perseverence, 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.
Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby
proclaim February 22, 1982, as a Day of National Celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth
Anniversary of the Birth of George Washington. I urge the people of the United States, in their
homes, schools, and places of work, to join me in commemorating the birth of George
Washington by reflecting on the character and accomplishments of this great man and his
incalculable contributions to the establishment of this Nation. Let us rededicate ourselves to the
fulfillment of his ideals and his faith in the people and resources of the United States.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of February, 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
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:54 a.m., February 22, 1982]