; Whereas from its birth to this day, the United States has prized this legacy of religious freedom and honored this heritage by standing for religious freedom and offering refuge to those suffering religious persecution , as noted in section 2(a) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 ( 22 U.S.C. 6401(a) ); Whereas Thomas Jefferson wrote— (1) in 1798 that each right encompassed in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution is dependent on the other rights described in that Amendment, thereby guarding in the same sentence, and under the same words, the freedom of religion, of speech, and of the press: insomuch, that whatever violated either, throws down the sanctuary which covers the others ; and (2) in 1822 that the constitutional freedom of religion is the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights ; Whereas religious freedom has been integral to the preservation and development of the United States , and the free exercise of religion goes hand in hand with the preservation of our other rights , as expressed by the 41st President of the United States in his Presidential proclamation on Religious Freedom Day in 1993; and Whereas we continue to proclaim the fundamental right of all peoples to believe and worship according to their own conscience, to affirm their beliefs openly and freely, and to practice their faith without fear or intimidation , as expressed by the 42nd President of the United States in his Presidential proclamation on Religious Freedom Day in 1998: Now, therefore, be it