South Dakota 1996

Proclamation

State of South Dakota

Office of the Governor

WHEREAS, The Preamble to the Constitution of the State of South Dakota states that “We, the people of South Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties…and preserve to ourselves and to our posterity the blessings of liberty…;” and,

WHEREAS, Benjamin Franklin, at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 stated: “It is impossible to build an empire without our Father’s aid. I believe the sacred writings which say that ‘Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it’” (Psalm 127:1); and,

WHEREAS, George Washington enunciated, “Animated alone by the pure spirit of Christianity, and conducting ourselves as the faithful subjects of our free government, we may enjoy every temporal and spiritual felicity;” and,

WHEREAS, Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, wrote: “Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have moved the conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?”; and,

WHEREAS, James Madison, father of the U.S. Constitution, advocated “the diffusion of the light of Christianity in our nation” in his Memorial and Remonstrance; and,

WHEREAS, Patrick Henry quoted Proverbs 14:34 for our nation: “Righteousness alone can exalt a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any;” and,

WHEREAS, George Mason, in his Virginia Declaration of Rights, forerunner to our U.S. Bill of Rights, affirmed: “That it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love and charity towards each other;” and,

WHEREAS, These, and many other truly great men and women of America, giants in the structuring of American history, were Christian statesmen of caliber and integrity who did not hesitate to express their faith.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. JANKLOW, Governor of the State of South Dakota, do hereby proclaim November 10 through November 16, 1996, as

CHRISTIAN HERITAGE WEEK

in South Dakota.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of South Dakota, in Pierre, the Capital City, this Twenty-Seventh Day of February, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Six.

 WILLIAM J. JANKLOW, GOVERNOR

ATTEST:

JOYCE HAZELTINE, SECRETARY OF STATE