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    "localId": "1252182",
    "label": "12/19/74 - American Freedom Train Certification (Includes assignment sheet and letter)",
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    "title": "12/19/74 - American Freedom Train Certification (Includes assignment sheet and letter)",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1252182",
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        "Speeches, addresses, etc.",
        "American Revolution Bicentennial, 1776-1976"
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    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/82/2521/1252182/content/library/document/0122/1252182.pdf",
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box 4, folder \"12/19/74 - American Freedom Train\nCertification (Includes assignment sheet and letter)\" of the President's Speeches and\nStatements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDigitized from Box 4 of President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nTHE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN def\nPRESIDENTIAL REMARKS FOR\nAMERICAN FREEDOM TRAIN CERTIFICATION\nALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA\nTHURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1974\nKandell\n- 1 -\nI AM VERY PLEASED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS CEREMONY\nOFFICIALLY RECOGNIZING THE AMERICAN FREEDOM TRAIN AS A\nMAJOR NATIONAL BICENTENNIAL PROJECT.\nJeffermer High\nT.C. William\n- 2 -\n17,000\nWHEN IT BEGINS ITS SEVENTEEN THOUSAND MILE JOURNEY\nTHROUGH FORTY-EIGHT OF OUR STATES THIS SPRING, THE FREEDOM TRAIN\nWILL SERVE AS ONE OF THE FOCAL POINTS FOR OUR BICENTENNIAL\nCOMMEMORATION.\n- 3 -\n76\nIT WILL VISIT SEVENTY-SIX CITIES AND GIVE AMERICANS\nA ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME CHANCE TO VIEW SOME OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT\nNATIONAL DOCUMENTS. AND ARTIFACTS.\n- 4 -\nTrangly\nI ESPECIALLY URGE PARENTS AND TEACHERS TO MAKE\nSURE THAT YOUR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS\nOPPORTUNITY.\nTHE CARGO.ON THIS TRAIN REPRESENTS MUCH\nOF OUR NATION'S PAST HISTORY AND OUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE.\n- 5 -\nTHE EXHIBITS TOUCH VIRTUALLY EVERY PHASE OF THE\nAMERICAN EXPERIENCE.\nTHE TRAIN WILL CARRY GEORGE WASHINGTON'S\nPERSONAL COPY OF THE CONSTITUTION.\nIT WILL CONTAIN THE\nHANDWRITTEN DRAFT OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S FIRST INAUGURAL SPEECH.\n- 6 -\nTHERE WILL BE MOON ROCK SAMPLES,\nTHE FIRST BIBLE PRINTED\nIN AMERICA,\nPAUL REVERE'S SADDLEBAGS AS WELL AS\nEXHIBITS REPRESENTING THE NATION'S CULTURE,\nTECHNOLOGICAL\nPROGRESS\nPROFESSIONS AND TRADES,\nSPORTS AND THE ARTS.\n- 7 -\nDURING THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF, 40 to 50 MILLION\nAMERICANS ARE EXPECTED TO VIEW THESE EXHIBITS AS WE NEAR\nOUR TWO HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY AS A NATION.\n- -8-\nI HOPE EVERY AMERICAN, AS HE OR SHE CONTEMPLATES\nTHESE HISTORICAL REMINDERS, WILL REFLECT ON HOW FAR WE HAVE\nCOME IN THESE TWO HUNDRED SHORT YEARS.\nAND AS WE TAKE\nA LONG LOOK BACK, LET US ALSO TAKE A LONG LOOK FORWARD.\n- 9 -\nI\nTHINK THAT I WE DO, WE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE PROBLEMS\nFACING US TODAY IN MUCH CLEARER PERSPECTIVE.\nOUR PROBLEMS ARE SERIOUS ONES -- ESPECIALLY\nOUR ENERGY PROBLEMS AND THOSE OF OUR ECONOMY.\n- 10 -\nBUT THINK OF THE PROBLEMS OUR FOREFATHERS FACED.\nTHINK OF THOSE THIRTEEN TINY COLONIES TAKING ON THE MIGHTIEST\nEMPIRE IN THE WORLD.\nAND THINK OF THEM WINNING THEIR LIBERTY,\n- 11\nVERY FEW PEOPLE BACK IN 1776 WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT IN\nJUST TWO HUNDRED YEARS THOSE THIRTEEN COLONIES WOULD PROVIDE THE\nJUMPING OFF SPOT FROM WHICH, EVENTUALLY, FIFTY UNITED STATES WOULD\nSPAN A VAST CONTINENT AND BEYOND -- TAME A MIGHTY WILDERNESS --\n- 12 - -\nCONSTRUCT A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ENORMOUS SCIENTIFIC\nCOMPLEXITY -- AND THEN SET OUT TO EXPLORE SPACE ITSELF.\nBUT THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.\n- 13 -\nAS WE REFLECT ON THESE HISTORIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS,\nLET US ALSO LOOK AHEAD TO THE FUTURE THAT WE ARE BUILDING.\nLET US REAFFIRM OUR FAITH IN THE AMERICAN SPIRIT.\n- 14 -\nAS ONE OF THE GREAT NATIONS OF THE WORLD - --\nSPIRITUALLY, MILITARILY, DIPLOMATICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY --\nWE IN AMERICA HAVE THE BEST.OF MANY WORLDS.\nWE HAVE\nNEARLY ALL THE NATURAL RESOURCES WE NEED.\nWE HAVE THE\nTECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES.\nWE HAVE THE HUMAN RESOURCES.\n- 15 - -\nNOW WE NEED THE WILL TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS, THE WILL\nTO WIN.\nAND WIN WE WILL.\nBY THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND, I SEE A PEOPLE\nLIVING IN A COMMUNITY OF PEACE WITH OTHER NATIONS,\nWITH A STANDARD OF LIVING STILL THE HIGHEST IN THE WORLD,\n- 16 -\nWITH DISEASE GREATLY CONQUERED, WITH INDIVIDUAL\nLIBERTIES SECURE FOR EVERYONE, WITH WIDE OPPORTUNITIES\nFOR GOOD EDUCATION AND GOOD HOUSING AND WITH OUR\nNATIONAL WILL AND SPIRIT STILL CLIMBING AS WE MOVE\nTOWARD CELEBRATION OF OUR TRICENTENNIAL.\n- 17 -\nI SEE THE BICENTENNIAL OF 1976 AS A REBIRTH AS WELL AS\nA BIRTHDAY -- A REDISCOVERY OF OUR STRENGTH AND OUR POTENTIAL.\nIT WILL STRENGTHEN OUR RESOLVE TO FULFILL THE PROMISES OF OUR\nFOREFATHERS.\nIT WILL FORTIFY OUR DETERMINATION TO CONTINUE\nTO BUILD A FREER, MORE JUST, MORE HUMANE SOCIETY.\n- 18 - -\nTHIS AMERICAN FREEDOM TRAIN WILL BE A FITTING SYMBOL\nFOR WHAT THE BICENTENNIAL REPRESENTS.\nSINCE THE DAY THE\nGOLDEN SPIKE WAS DRIVEN, THE RAILROAD HAS SYMBOLIZED OUR\nUNITY AS A NATION.\n- 19 - -\nON BEHALF OF ALL AMERICANS, I THANK THE AMERICAN\nFREEDOM TRAIN FOUNDATION, AND THE CORPORATIONS THAT PROVIDED\nGRANTS FOR THIS FREEDOM TRAIN.\n- - 20 - -\nI KNOW THAT YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS WILL INSPIRE OTHERS TO\nPARTICIPATE IN THE BICENTENNIAL.\nI WOULD LIKE TO SAY A\nSPECIAL THANK-YOU TO THE PEOPLE. OF PORTLAND, OREGON,\nWHO PROVIDED THE IRON HORSE THAT WILL PULL THE TRAIN.\n- 21 -\nI LOOK FOR THE FREEDOM TRAIN TO PROVIDE A UNIFYING\nSYMBOL OF THE HERITAGE THAT MADE AMERICA'S PAST GREAT AND\nWILL MAKE ITS FUTURE EVEN GREATER.\nEND OF TEXT\nPICK UP CONSTITUTION FROM YOUR CHAIR AND ASK KENDALL\nTO STEP FORWARD.\nPRESENT CONSTITUTION TO KENDALL.\n\"I TAKE GREAT PLEASURE IN PRESENTING GEORGE WASHINGTON'S\nCOPY OF OUR CONSTITUTION TO DON KENDALL FOR DISPLAY\nTO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ON THE FREEDOM TRAIN.\"\nCLEARANCE FORM FOR PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH MATERIAL\nTO:\nVIA:\nTHE ROBERT PRESIDENT HARTMANN RAZA Good\nFROM:\nPAUL THEIS\nSUBJECT:\nDraft Presidential Remarks at the\nAmerican Freedom Train Certification\nDate and Place of Presidential Use: 11:00 a. m., Thursday,\nDecember 19, Alexandria, Virginia\nSpeechwriter: Coyne\nEdited by: Casserly/Theis\nBasic research/speech material supplied by: American Freedom\nTrain Foundation\nCleared by (please initial):\n(x) Operations (Rumsfeld) OK D Chiney\n(x) Jack Marsh m\n( ) Congressional (Timmons)\n( ) Economic Policy Board (Seidman)\n(x) Domestic Council (Cole) disab\n( ) N.S. C. (Scowcroft)\n( ) O.M.B. (Ash)\n(X) Press (Nessen) RHN\n(x) Research (Durfee) LD\n( ) Anne Armstrong (Lukstat)\nm.3\nAMERICANA REVOLUTION WOENTENNIAL\nAMERICAN REVOLUTION BICENTENNIAL ADMINISTRATION\n736 JACKSON PLACE, N.W.\nWASHINGTON, D.C. 20276\n1776-1976\n(202) 32-1776\nDecember 19, 1974\nDear Don:\nEnclosed are cards used by the President at\nhis speech this morning at the Freedom Train. As an\nold advance man, I know the importance of having these\nreturned for the White House archives.\nI appreciate very much the support you're\ngiving to the Bicentennial, particularly with today's\nceremony. Progress is being made, slowly but surely,\nand I am confident the overall Bicentennial commemora-\ntion will befit the greatness and dignity of our Nation.\nIn the Spirit of 176,\n70 hur\nJohn W. Warner\nAdministrator\nThe Honorable\nDonald Rumsfeld\nThe White House\nEnclosures"
}