Civil War Proclamation No. 3882

[Jerry D]

Eisenhower Proclamation
Civil War Proclamation No. 3882

By The President of The United States of America:

The years 1961-1965 will mark the one hundredth anniversary of the American
Civil War

The war was America's most tragic experience. But like all truly great
tragedies, it carries with it an enduring lesson and a profound inspiration. It was
a demonstration of heroism and sacrifice by men and women of both sides, who
valued principles above life itself and whose devotion to duty is a proud part
of our national inheritance.

Both sections of our magnificently reunited country sent into their armies
men who become soldiers as good as any who ever fought under any flag. Military
history records nothing finer than the courage and spirit displayed at such
battles as Chickamauga, Antietam, Kennesaw Mountain and Gettysburg. That America
could produce men so valiant and so enduring is a matter for deep and abiding
pride.

The same spirit on the part of the people back home supported those soldiers
through four years of great trail. That a Nation which contained hardly more
than 30 million people, North and South together, could sustain 600,000 deaths
without faltering is a lasting testimonial to something unconquerable in the
American spirit. And that a transcending sense of unity and larger common
purpose could, in the end, cause the men and women who had suffered so greatly to
close ranks once the contest ended and to go on together to build a greater,
freer and happier America must be a source of inspiration as long as our country
may last.

By a joint resolution approved on September 7, 1957, the Congress established
the Civil War Centennial Commission to coordinate the nationwide observances
of the one hundredth anniversary of the Civil War. This resolution authorized
and requested the President to issue proclamations inviting the people of the
United States to participate in those observances.

NOW THEREFORE, I , DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, President of the United States of
America, do hereby invite all of the people of our country to take direct and
active part in the Centennial of the Civil War.

I request all units and agencies of government, Federal, State and local, and
their officials, to encourage, foster and participate in Centennial
observances. And I especially urge our Nations schools and colleges, it's libraries and
museums, its churches and religious bodies, its civic, service and patriotic
organizations, its learned and professional societies, its arts, sciences and
industries, and its informational media, to plan and carry out their own
appropriate Centennial observances during the years 1961 to 1965; all to the end of
enriching our knowledge and appreciation of this great chapter in our
Nation's history and of making this memorial period truly a Centennial for all
Americans.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the
United States of America to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington this 6th day of December, in the year of our
Lord nineteen hundred and sixty, and of the Independence of the Untied States
of America the one hundred and eighty-fourth.

By the President
Dwight D. Eisenhower

[Jerry D]

In 2011 I wonder if the Setting President in the future will Issue a proclamation as thoughtful as Ike did in 1961 ? Or will the NAACP win and all referances to the South and the WBTS be erased from our Schools and Public Assemblies? :cd: