Ronald Reagan

“ The men of genius who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor as they signed our Declaration of Independence did not take our liberty or our citizenship as Americans for granted. Neither did those who painstakingly framed our Constitution and held for the Bill of Rights during our days as a fledgling Nation. Those who have served and sacrificed in uniform through the centuries have surely taken the blessings of liberty very seriously. So have the millions of immigrants who have braved countless obstacles to reach the safety and freedom of our shores. ”

“ The winning of freedom is not to be compared to the winning of a game-with the victory recorded forever in history. Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirits of men and so must be daily earned and refreshed-else like a flower cut from its lifegiving roots, it will wither and die. ”

“ All throughout our history, in peace and in war, Americans have loved and labored in defense of our Independence and our rights. For these reasons, and because freedom has enemies in every generation, Citizenship Day and Constitution Week ought to remind each of us that we must never take for granted our existence as a free land. ”