Remarks of Chairman Bruce Cole
Launch of "The Citizen's Almanac" and Naturalization Ceremony
National Archives — Washington, DC
April 17, 2007
(As Delivered)

"Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

In this first sentence from his "Gettysburg Address," President Abraham Lincoln captured the essence of what makes America unique among nations of the world. The people of the United States are not bound by common ties of blood or race or religion. Instead, we are a nation united by our devotion to shared principles — as Lincoln put it, a nation "dedicated to a proposition."

And what is that proposition? That "all men are created equal." Not equal in wealth or talents, of course. But rather, equal in dignity before the law, and equally endowed by our Creator with the rights listed in the Declaration of Independence — the rights to "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

On this happy occasion today, I can't resist quoting Mary Antin. Like my own grandparents, she was a young immigrant from Eastern Europe who found herself in the new and bewildering world of America. But she soon realized that she, too, had ancestors here.

She wrote: "I had relatives and friends who were notable people by the old standards … but this George Washington, who died long before I was born, was like a king in greatness — and he and I were Fellow Citizens."

By taking your oath of citizenship, each of you, too, will become fellow citizens of Washington, and Lincoln, and all the great Americans who came before you. I hope you will always be inspired by their examples, and steadfast in your devotion to your new country.

To that end, the National Endowment for the Humanities was proud to support the development of the new Citizen's Almanac. [http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/M-76.pdf ] This slim volume contains a treasure trove of speeches, documents, and symbols that every American citizen should know, whether they are naturalized or native-born. The goal of the Citizen's Almanac is to help form good citizens — citizens who know about our nation's past and principles — citizens who can use that knowledge to add their own chapters to America's remarkable story.

This goal brings us back to the words of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Lincoln gave this speech at the dedication of a cemetery for soldiers who had fallen at the Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War. He told the crowd gathered there that Americans must be dedicated "to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced." And what was this work? It was, Lincoln's said, that "we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

By remembering the sacrifices of those who came before you, and faithfully exercising your rights and responsibilities as citizens, each of you will contribute to this ongoing work. And by your contributions, you will help ensure that America continues to experience a "new birth of freedom."

I congratulate each of you on the great step you are taking today, and I wish you all the best in your new lives as citizens of the United States.