PROCLAMATION from Fred Camillo, First Selectman
WHEREAS, France was the first power to ally itself in 1778 with the newly born United States of America, and contributed to its independence with financial and military support during the American Revolution; and
WHEREAS, The USA and France are celebrating the 241st Anniversary of the 600-mile March of General Rochambeau's Army from Newport RI to Yorktown, VA which led to Victory over General Cornwallis on October 19, 1781; and
WHEREAS, On July 14, 1789 the people of Paris stormed and captured the Bastille prison, a symbol of arbitrariness and oppression; and
WHEREAS, Five weeks later, in August 1789, the French National Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, proclaiming that all men are born free and endowed with equal rights; and
WHEREAS, The United States and France have stood together in two World Wars to defend and uphold these principles strongly held by our two nations; and
WHEREAS, The Alliance Française of Greenwich celebrates the 112th Anniversary of the inauguration in 1911 by Mrs. Frederic W. Lincoln and Mrs. Charles T. Thompson marking the enduring commitment to enhance the cultural and educational life of this Town, and to honor the shared values that are the unshakeable foundation of the friendship between France and the United States.
NOW, THEREFORE, l, Fred Camillo, FIRST SELECTMAN OF THE TOWN OF GREENWICH, do
hereby proclaim July 14, 2023 as
Bastille Day
and in commemoration of Bastille Day and the many contributions that French Immigrants, Franco- Americans, Francophones and France have made since 1778 to the United States of America, the French Flag will be raised and fly over the Greenwich Town Hall.