Information About American Enterprise Day
Established by President Jimmy Carter in Executive Proclamation 4778 on Aug. 8, 1980, American Enterprise Day encourages Americans to celebrate the free enterprise system in the United States and its benefits. Celebrations are organized by Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) to educate students on the value of the American free enterprise system. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
Free Enterprise System
-
Free enterprise is the freedom of people and businesses to operate and compete with little to no interference by government regulation. It allows people to produce goods and services to sell and offer their labor for wages. It also allows people to maximize the resources available to them, without interference of limitations imposed by the government. It is a system that encourages creativity, entrepreneurship and productivity. Free enterprise is believed by some to be an extension of personal freedom.
Proclamation
-
President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation establishing American Enterprise Day because he said he believed the American way of life was being threatened. He wrote: "To preserve the health of our system and our position in the international economy, we must work together to increase productivity by developing and implementing new techniques for the more effective use of raw materials, energy, machines and our own labor."
-
Activities
-
The original proclamation encouraged Americans to celebrate free enterprise "with appropriate activities to promote appreciation of the American free enterprise system and its benefits."
Every year the Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL) celebrate American Enterprise Day on Nov. 15th. Chapters of FBLA-PBL establish competitive events and educational programs within schools and communities "to increase the understanding of and support for the American enterprise system," according to the FBLA-PBL website. Examples of games and activities include the Stock Market Game, simCEO and Virtual Business Challenge.
FBLA-Phi Beta Lambda
-
FBLA is a nonprofit education association that trains high school students to be future business leaders. Business owners, teachers, and advisers guide local chapters. Phi Beta Lambda is the affiliate college organization for FBLA.
Why Celebrate
-
American Enterprise Day has been used predominately by FBLA to educate students about the benefits of a free enterprise system. It teaches the function and history of the free enterprise system to help students understand the U.S. economy.
-
References
- Photo Credit business colleagues preparing for business meeting image by Vladimir Melnik from Fotolia.com
