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Ärende: Press Release (070513) for Sun, 2007 May 13
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President Bush Celebrates at America's 400th Anniversary in Jamestown
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary May 13, 2007

President Bush Celebrates at America's 400th Anniversary in Jamestown
Anniversary Park Williamsburg, Virginia

˙ /news/releases/2007/05/20070513.wm.v.html ˙˙Presidential Remarks
˙˙Audio


12:02 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thank you, Justice O'Connor. Laura and I are
really happy to join you today. This state is known at the "Mother of
Presidents," which reminds me, I needed to call my Mother today.
(Laughter.) I wish all mothers around our country a happy Mother's Day. And
if you haven't called your mother, you better start dialing here after this
ceremony. (Applause.)

We're honored to be in Jamestown on this historic day. We appreciate the
opportunity to tour the beautiful grounds here. I would urge our fellow
citizens to come here, see the fantastic history that's on display. I think
you'll be amazed at how our country got started. And I want to thank all
the good folks who are working to preserve the past for your hard work, and
I appreciate the fact that you spent a lot of time educating our fellow
citizens.

Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in America; it
predated the Mayflower Compact by 13 years. (Applause.) This is a very
proud state, and some people down here like to point out that the pilgrims
ended up at Plymouth Rock by mistake. (Laughter.) They were looking for
Virginia. (Laughter.) They just missed the sign. (Laughter.)

As we celebrate the 400th anniversary of Jamestown to honor the beginnings
of our democracy, it is a chance to renew our commitment to help others
around the world realize the great blessings of liberty. And so Laura and I
are proud to join you. Justice, it's good to see you. There's no finer
American than Sandra Day O'Connor, and I'm proud to share the podium with
her. (Applause.)

We're also proud to be with Governor Tim Kaine and Anne Holton. I'm proud
to call them friends, and I hope, Ms. Kaine, that the Governor recognized
Mother's Day. Glad you're here. I want to thank Secretary Dirk Kempthorne
of the Department of the Interior; Michael Griffin, the administrator of
NASA; members of the United States Congress; members of the statehouse,
including the Lieutenant Governor. I appreciate the Attorney General being
here. I thank the Speaker for joining us. Most of all, thank you for
coming.

I thank the members of the Jamestown 400th Commemoration Commission. Those
are all the good folks who worked hard to get this celebration in order. I
appreciate the members of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia
Antiquities. Laura and I saw members of the Association for the
Preservation of Virginia Antiquities digging in dirt. (Laughter.) It just
so happened we wandered up, and they found some artifacts. (Laughter.) I
appreciate members of the Jamestown 2007 Steering Committee.

The story of Jamestown will always have a special place in American
history. It's the story of a great migration from the Old World to the New.
It is a story of hardship overcome by resolve. It's a story of the
Tidewater settlement that laid the foundation of our great democracy.

That story began on a dock near London in December of 1606. More than a
hundred English colonists set sail for a new life across the ocean in
Virginia. They had dreams of paradise that were sustained during their long
months at sea by their strong spirit. And then they got here, and a far
different reality awaited them.

On May 13, 1607, 400 years today, they docked their ships on a marshy
riverbank. Being loyal subjects, they named the site after their King, and
that's how Jamestown was born. Today we celebrate that moment as a great
milestone in our history, yet the colonists who experienced those first
years had little reason to celebrate.

Their search for gold soon gave way to a desperate search for food. An
uneasy peace with the Native Americans broke into open hostilities. The
hope for a better life turned into a longing for the comforts of home. One
settler wrote, "There were never Englishmen left in a foreign country in
such misery as we were in the new discovered Virginia."

Looking back, 400 years later, it is easy to forget how close Jamestown
came to failure. The low point came after the terrible winter of 1610. The
survivors boarded their ships. They were prepared to abandon the
settlement, and only the last minute arrival of new settlers and new
provisions saved Jamestown. Back in London, one court official summed up
the situation this way: "This is an unlucky beginning. I pray God the end
may prove happier."

Well, the prayers were answered. Jamestown survived. It became a testament
to the power of perseverance and determination. Despite many dangers, more
ships full of new settlers continued to set out for Jamestown. As the
colony grew, the settlers ventured beyond the walls of their three-sided
fort, and formed a thriving community. Their industry and hard work
transformed Jamestown from a distant English outpost into an important
center for trade.

And during those early years, the colonists also planted the seeds of
American democracy, at a time when democratic institutions were rare. On
their first night at Jamestown, six of the leading colonists held the first
presidential election in American history. And you might be surprised to
know that the winner was not named George. (Laughter.) A matter of fact,
his name was Edward Wingfield. I call him Eddie W. (Laughter and applause.)

From these humble beginnings, the pillars of a free society began to take
hold. Private property rights encouraged ownership and free enterprise. The
rule of law helped secure the rights of individuals. The creation of
America's first representative assembly ensured the consent of the people
and gave Virginians a voice in their government. It was said at the time
that the purpose of these reforms was, "to lay a foundation whereon a
flourishing state might, in time, by the blessing of Almighty God, be
raised."

Not all people shared in these blessings. The expansion of Jamestown came
at a terrible cost to the native tribes of the region, who lost their lands
and their way of life. And for many Africans, the journey to Virginia
represented the beginnings of a life of hard labor and bondage. Their story
is a part of the story of Jamestown. It reminds us that the work of
American democracy is to constantly renew and to extend the blessings of
liberty.

That work has continued throughout our history. In the 18th century our
founding fathers declared our independence, and dedicated America to the
principle that all men are created equal. In the 19th century our nation
fought a terrible civil war over the meaning of those famous words, and
renewed our founding promise. In the 20th century Americans defended our
democratic ideals against totalitarian ideologies abroad, while working to
ensure we lived up to our ideals here at home. As we begin the 21st
century, we look back on our history with pride, and rededicate ourselves
to the cause of liberty. (Applause.)

Today democratic institutions are taking root in places where liberty was
unimaginable not long ago. At the start of the 1980s, there were only 45
democracies on Earth. There are now more than 120 democracies, and more
people now live in freedom than ever before. (Applause.)

America is proud to promote the expansion of democracy, and we must
continue to stand with all those struggling to claim their freedom. The
advance of freedom is the great story of our time, and new chapters are
being written every day, from Georgia and Ukraine, to Kyrgyzstan and
Lebanon, to Afghanistan and Iraq. From our own history, we know the path to
democracy is long, and it's hard. There are many challenges, and there are
setbacks along the way. Yet we can have confidence in the outcome, because
we've seen freedom's power to transform societies before.

In World War II, we fought Germany on battlefields across Europe, and today
a democratic Germany is one of our strongest partners on the Continent. And
in the Pacific, we fought a bloody war with Japan. And now our alliance
with a democratic Japan is the linchpin for freedom and security in the Far
East. These democracies have taken different forms that reflect different
cultures and traditions. But our friendship with them reminds us that
liberty is the path to lasting peace, and that democracies are natural
allies for the United States.

Today we have no closer ally than the nation we once fought for our own
independence. Britain and America are united by our democratic heritage,
and by the history that began at this settlement 400 years ago. Last month
some of the greatest legal minds in Britain and America, including Justice
O'Connor and Chief Justice John Roberts, came to Jamestown to lay a plaque
commemorating our shared respect for the rule of law and our deeply held
belief in individual liberty.

Over the years, these values have defined our two countries. Yet they are
more than just American values and British values, or Western values. They
are universal values that come from a power greater than any man or any
country. (Applause.) These values took root at Jamestown four centuries
ago. They have flourished across our land, and one day they will flourish
in every land.

May God bless you, and may God bless America. (Applause.)

END 12:15 P.M. EDT
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