Proclamation 5921 --
Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human Rights Week, 1988
By
the President of the
A
Proclamation
The
second week in December commemorates two important dates. December 10 marks the
40th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
and December 15 marks the date almost 200 years ago when, in 1791, the first 10
amendments to the United States Constitution -- our Bill of Rights -- were
ratified.
The
human rights we regard today as inherent and unalienable were by no means
universally accepted 2 centuries ago. Such rights as freedom of worship,
speech, assembly, and the press were just beginning to be asserted by popular
movements that would sweep
Now,
200 years later, the Universal Declaration, enshrining many of the principles
of our Founders, has become that worldwide Bill of Rights. Elaborating such a
list of basic rights was one of the first tasks undertaken by the new United
Nations Organization; the Chair of the drafting committee was Eleanor
Roosevelt, who was later nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for this work.
Urging adoption of the Universal Declaration, then-Secretary of State George C.
Marshall told the United Nations that ``denials of basic human rights lie at
the root of most of our troubles. . . . Governments which systematically
disregard the rights of their own people,'' he said, ``are not likely to
respect the rights of other nations and other people.'' He called for adoption
of the Universal Declaration as ``a standard of conduct for us all.''
The
Universal Declaration, like our own Bill of Rights, starts from the premises
that civil liberties and political freedom are the birthright of all mankind
and that all of us are equal in the eyes of the law. Like our own Declaration
of Independence, it also makes the inescapable connection between freedom,
human rights, and government by the consent of the governed.
We
are proud that the truths expressed by our Founding Fathers -- America's source
of strength, stability, and authority for more than 2 centuries -- have also
provided a standard for liberty and the rule of law emulated in dozens of other
countries as well.
Nevertheless,
many individuals and nations do not enjoy the rights enumerated in our
Constitution and in the Universal Declaration. Some governments voice ringing
guarantees but fall far short in practice. Some, such as Communist regimes,
wrongly subordinate fundamental rights to other goals. These goals are often
defined by political groups or parties that claim to know what is best for the
individual and for peoples subject to their control. Fundamental goals -- free
elections and due process -- are concepts not welcomed by dictators of any
ideological or political stripe.
Despite
this entrenched resistance of tyrants to practical guarantees of liberty, the
Universal Declaration has done much to promote observance of human rights
around the world. Over the past decade in particular we have seen great
strides.
As
we move toward the final decade of this century, we can truly say that the
heroism, prayers, and sacrifices of countless heroes and heroines who have
braved threats and persecution in the long struggle for human rights have
produced noteworthy results. But we still have far to go. We must and will
dedicate ourselves as a Nation to continue this effort, and to stand in
solidarity with those who resist, until the blessings of democracy, freedom,
and respect for human dignity are assured throughout the world.
Now,
Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, 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 December 10, 1988, as Human Rights Day, and December
15, 1988, as Bill of Rights Day, and I call upon all Americans to observe the
week beginning December 10, 1988, as Human Rights Week.
In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of December, in the
year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of the
Ronald
Reagan
[Filed with the Office
of the Federal Register,