Ronald Reagan

“ In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of July, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twelfth. ”

“ Czechs have long sought liberty and opportunity in the United States, and they have distinguished themselves here in every field of endeavor-in science, religion, literature, the professions, business, labor, and the armed forces, the arts, government, sports, and countless other fields. Among the first North Americans ever canonized was a Czech American, St. John Nepomucene Neumann, a missionary and later a bishop of Philadelphia in the 19th century. In that century hundreds of thousands of Czechs came to America, seeking freedom and economic opportunity. ”

“ For more than three and one-half centuries, Czechs and Czech Americans, through talent, industriousness, and energy, have been compiling a proud record of achievement in our country. All Americans are glad to join our fellow citizens of Czech descent in celebrating this precious and living heritage, as well as the extensive ties between our peoples here and in Europe. ”