
  
  
			   THE WHITE HOUSE
  
		    Office of the Press Secretary
  
  _______________________________________________________________
  
  For Immediate Release                            April 13, 1994
  
  
	 251ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF THOMAS JEFFERSON
  
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	  BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
  
			   A PROCLAMATION
  
  
       "I am certainly not an advocate for frequent and untried 
  changes in laws and constitutions," Thomas Jefferson once wrote, 
  "But . . . laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the 
  progress of the human mind.  As that becomes more developed, 
  more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths 
  disclosed, and manners and opinions change . . . institutions 
  must advance also, and keep pace with the times."
  
       These words have challenged and inspired the countless 
  millions who have come to America's capital and have seen 
  them inscribed on the marble wall of the Jefferson Memorial.  
  Jefferson's statue presides nobly over America's capital city, 
  a steadfast and enduring reminder of the democratic government 
  that he helped to found.  Yet unlike his unchanging visage, our 
  democracy's institutions have proved to be remarkably agile in 
  governing, maturing as society has progressed, evolving as human 
  knowledge and technology have advanced -- far beyond Jefferson's 
  imagining.  Of all the truths Jefferson knew to be self-evident, 
  of all the freedoms he held dear, this understanding of the need 
  for political and social innovation is perhaps his most lasting 
  gift.  He helped to endow us with the freedom to embrace change.
  
       As we complete the year celebrating the 250th anniversary 
  of his birth, it is entirely fitting that we again pause to 
  reflect upon both the contradictions of Jefferson's life and 
  the meaning of his legacy.  Far from the sculpted perfection 
  of his statue, Jefferson acknowledged, even anguished about, 
  his failings as a leader.  In expressing his fervent hope that 
  we would one day purge the evil of slavery from our land, he 
  wrote, "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is 
  just, that his justice cannot sleep forever."  Despite his 
  flaws, Jefferson imbued us with his powerful faith that justice 
  would ultimately transcend our seeming inability to do what we 
  know is right.  And I believe he would rejoice to know how far 
  America has come toward winning equal justice under law.  
  
       In the United States, we must constantly relearn his 
  teaching that change is both an inevitable and essential part 
  of safeguarding our precious freedoms.  We recognize, as he did 
  in his day, that our democracy must continue to develop, that 
  we must shape our politics and policies to meet the rapidly 
  shifting needs of our people and to embrace the better angels 
  of our nature.  On this day, we remember that our Nation is an 
  ongoing experiment, a new and fragile spirit, requiring our 
  eternal care and vigilance if it is to continue to grow and 
  prosper and shine.
  
       NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, 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 Wednesday, April 13, 1994, as the 251st Anniversary of 
  the Birth of Thomas Jefferson.  I encourage all Americans to 
  reflect upon his words and deeds and to rededicate themselves to 
  making our Nation one of which he would be proud.  Additionally, 
  I call upon the people of the United States to observe this 
  occasion with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
  
       IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand 
  this thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord 
  nineteen hundred and ninety-four, and of the Independence of 
  the United States of America the two hundred and eighteenth.
  
  
  
  
				     WILLIAM J. CLINTON
  
  
  
  
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