Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 103 Part 3.djvu/1012

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103 STAT. 3080 PROCLAMATION 6013—AUG. 15, 1989 A diverse people, we Americans are united by what we believe. We believe in God; we believe that all men are created equal; we believe in freedom; and we believe in equal opportunity and justice for all. We rededicate ourselves to these eternal truths every time we pledge alle- giance to the Flag of the United States. In recognition of the significance of the Pledge of Allegiance, the Con- gress, by House Joint Resolution 253, has designated September 8, 1989, as "National Pledge of Allegiance Day" and has authorized and re- quested the President to issue a proclamation calling for the observ- ance of this event. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 8, 1989, National Pledge of Allegiance Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day by displaying the United States Flag, by reciting publicly the Pledge of Allegiance, and by participating in other appropriate activi- ties. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty- nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and foiu'teenth. GEORGE BUSH Proclamation 6013 of August 15, 1989 The Bicentennial Anniversary of the First U.S. Patent and Copyright Laws, 1990 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Our Nation's Founding Fathers recognized not only the need to protect the rights and property of individual Americans, but also the impor- tance of providing incentives to stimulate the economic and cultural growth of the United States. Thus, in Article I, Section 8 of the Consti- tution, they gave the Congress the power "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discover- ies." Under this provision, the Federal Government can encourage the work of authors and inventors by protecting their right to reap the fipuits of their labor. In his first Annual Message to the Congress, President George Wash- ington reminded its members of the importance of progress in science and the arts, proclaiming that "there is nothing which can better de- serve yovu" patronage than the promotion of science and literature." Less than 6 months later, the Congress passed two landmark laws: the first Patent Act, which President Washington signed on April 10, 1790, and the first Copjn'ight Act, which he signed on May 31, 1790. These two Acts have played an important role in establishing the United States as an economic and cultural leader among nations.