[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 118, 108th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

Proclamation 7806 of August 26, 2004


 
Women's Equality Day, 2004


By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On Women's Equality Day, we recognize the hard work and perseverance of
those who helped secure women's suffrage in the United States. With the
ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920, American
women gained one of the most cherished rights and fundamental
responsibilities of citizenship: the right to vote.
The struggle for women's suffrage in America dates back to the founding
of our country. The movement began in earnest at the Seneca Falls
Convention in 1848, when women drafted a Declaration of Sentiments
proclaiming they had the same rights as men. In 1916, Jeannette Rankin
of Montana became the first American woman elected to the United States
House of Representatives, despite the fact that her fellow women would
not be able to vote nationally for 4 more years. These women and many
more like them worked to ensure that future generations of women could
realize the promise of America.

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118 STAT. 4160

Today, American women are leaders in business, government, law, science,
medicine, the arts, education, and many other fields. Women-owned
businesses account for nearly half of all privately held firms and are
opening at twice the rate of male-owned businesses. Through vision,
determination, and a strong work ethic, remarkable American women have
broadened opportunities for themselves and women around the world.
The full participation of women and the protection of their rights as
citizens are essential for freedom and democracy to flourish. In
Afghanistan, women helped draft their country's new constitution in
January 2004, which guarantees free elections and full participation by
women. These women are eager to exercise their rights and are
registering to vote in great numbers; about 40 percent of those
registered to vote in the October Afghan Presidential elections are
women. In Iraq, women are members of the new interim Iraqi government
and the recently established National Council. They also participated in
drafting the Transitional Administrative Law, which prohibits
discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, or religion and
requires that 25 percent of the new legislature be women. In the face of
great challenges, Iraqi women are building a better nation for
themselves and their families.
As we look to the future, we celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments
of women in America and throughout the world and renew our commitment to
equality for all women, both at home and abroad.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, 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 August 26, 2004, as
Women's Equality Day. I call upon the people of the United States to
observe this day with appropriate programs and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of
August, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
ninth.
GEORGE W. BUSH

PROCLAMATION 7807--SEPT. 4, 2004