Free Republic

Tragically, hundreds of millions of people around the world continue to suffer under repressive regimes.  During Captive Nations Week, we condemn the cold grip of tyranny that holds nations under unjust rule, and we reaffirm our commitment to all who are fighting to overcome oppression.  We renew our deep devotion to the principles of liberty, justice, and the rule of law, and we know the United States will continue to shine as an unparalleled example for all nations.  President Dwight D. Eisenhower first proclaimed Captive Nations Week in 1959 to declare our Nation’s steadfast support for people throughout the world who...

Welcome to Captive Nations Week. Never heard of it? You’re not alone. Yet this usually-forgotten, federally mandated occasion — now in its 60th year — is worth resurrecting in the 21st century. Congress created Captive Nations Week in 1959, making the third week in July a time to show Americans’ solidarity with the nations dominated by communism. The original law listed 22 captive nations, most of which had substantial communities of citizens in major American cities. After the law’s passage, these communities began to hold parades and rallies every year, from Miami to New York to Los Angeles to Chicago...

Captive Nations Captive Still by: Anthony Kang, August 29, 2009 In 1959, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Captive Nations Week into law (Public Law 86-90) aimed at raising public awareness of the oppression of nations under the control of Communist and other non-democratic governments. Though emphasis and/or rhetoric of the presidents have varied, every president since Eisenhower has recognized the third week of July as Captive Nations Week, as did The Heritage Foundation this past July 22nd with two very impassioned champions against communism as guest speakers: Lee Edwards, Distinguished Fellow in Conservative Thought at B. Kenneth Simon Center...

Note: The following text is a quote: THE BRIEFING ROOM THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary __________________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release July 17, 2009 CAPTIVE NATIONS WEEK, 2009 - - - - - - - BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION Fifty years ago, President Eisenhower issued a call of solidarity to peoples across the world living under communist rule. This first Captive Nations Week Proclamation expressed concern that too many people lacked fundamental freedoms, and it affirmed that the people of the United States stood alongside those who yearned to be free. Since...