Proclamation 5878 --
Columbus Day, 1988
October 3, 1988
By
the President of the United States of
America
A
Proclamation
We
Americans proudly set aside time as a Nation each October to pay tribute to
Christopher Columbus, whose voyage to the Americas in 1492 inaugurated
communication between worlds old and new. Today, nearly 500 years after his
epochal discoveries, Columbus remains for us a giant
of exploration and of the human spirit -- a man whose faith, vision, courage,
and perseverance have won him an imperishable place in the history of America and the world.
The
qualities Columbus exhibited so well have
always made him a kindred soul to pioneering and individualistic Americans, who
to this day confidently set sail in their own way toward far horizons in every
area of achievement. Not for us the discouraging word, but rather the desire to
do and to dare for a great good. Generations of Americans recall the lines of
Joaquin Miller's poem, ``Columbus'': ``7E 7E`Now speak,
brave Adm'r'l, speak and say' -- He said: `Sail on! sail on! and on!''' and its final
lines, ``He gained a world; he gave that world its grandest lesson: `On! sail on!''' That was the spirit of Columbus, and it is the American
spirit.
Today,
our homage to Christopher Columbus includes recognition of the accomplishments
of the many Italians who have followed him to America and of the achievements
of their descendants. Columbus remains an inspiration
for them and for all Americans, and a source of comity between the peoples of Italy and the United States.
The
same is true for Americans of Spanish descent. Support by the Spanish monarchs
Ferdinand and Isabella made the discoveries of Columbus possible and led to Spain's later cultural and
economic contributions to the New World and the development of
the heritage we share with our Spanish-speaking neighbors throughout the Western Hemisphere.
As
we approach the 500th anniversary of the first voyage of Columbus to the New World in 1492, observances in
his honor are growing in number and significance. The Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee Commission, a group of Americans
assisted by representatives from Spain, Italy, and the Bahamas, has made
recommendations for our Nation's celebration of the Quincentenary.
The Commission is planning educational and commemorative programs that will
take place across our land. We can all look forward to an appropriate,
enjoyable, and truly memorable jubilee.
In
tribute to Christopher Columbus, the Congress of the United States, by joint resolution
approved April 30, 1934 (48 Stat. 657), as
modified by the Act of June 28, 1968 (82 Stat. 250), has
requested the President to proclaim the second Monday in October of each year
as ``Columbus Day.''
Now,
Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of
America, do hereby proclaim Monday,
October 10, 1988, as Columbus Day. I invite the people of this Nation to
observe that day with appropriate ceremonies in honor of this great explorer. I
also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all
public buildings on the appointed day in honor of Christopher Columbus.
In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 3rd day of Oct., in the year
of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of
America the two hundred and
thirteenth.
Ronald
Reagan
[Filed with the Office
of the Federal Register, 10:54 a.m., October 4, 1988]