[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 123 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. CON. RES. 123

 Recognizing and honoring the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on 
  the bicentennial of his death because of his standing as one of the 
        most influential Founding Fathers of the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 12, 2004

     Mrs. Clinton (for herself, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Corzine, and Mr. 
 Lautenberg) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing and honoring the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton on 
  the bicentennial of his death because of his standing as one of the 
        most influential Founding Fathers of the United States.

Whereas Alexander Hamilton dedicated his life to serving his adopted country as 
        a Revolutionary soldier, aide-de-camp to General George Washington, 
        Representative to the Continental Congress, member of the New York State 
        Assembly, first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, and 
        Inspector General of the Army;
Whereas Alexander Hamilton was a poor teenage immigrant to New York from the 
        West Indian Islands of Nevis and St. Croix;
Whereas in the early days of the Revolutionary War Alexander Hamilton was 
        commissioned as a captain and raised and trained his own New York 
        artillery regiment and served valiantly in the battles of Long Island 
        and Manhattan;
Whereas Alexander Hamilton quickly captured the attention of General George 
        Washington who made him his aide-de-camp and confidant throughout the 
        most difficult days of the Revolutionary War;
Whereas in 1781, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton of the Continental Army 
        led a bold attack of New York troops during the siege of Yorktown, the 
        decisive and final battle of the Revolutionary War;
Whereas in 1782, Alexander Hamilton was elected as a member of the Continental 
        Congress from New York;
Whereas as a private citizen Alexander Hamilton served many philanthropic causes 
        and was a co-founder of the New York Manumission Society, the first 
        abolitionist organization in New York and a major influence on the 
        abolition of slavery from the State;
Whereas Alexander Hamilton was a strong and consistent advocate against slavery 
        and believed that Blacks and Whites were equal citizens and equal in 
        their mental and physical faculties;
Whereas Alexander Hamilton was one of the first members of the founding 
        generation to call for a convention to drastically revise the Articles 
        of Confederation;
Whereas Alexander Hamilton joined James Madison in Annapolis, Maryland in 1786 
        to officially request that the States call a constitutional convention;
Whereas Alexander Hamilton was elected as a delegate to the Constitutional 
        Convention of 1787 from New York, where he played an influential role 
        and was the only delegate from New York to sign the Constitution;
Whereas Alexander Hamilton was the primary author of the Federalist Papers, the 
        single most influential interpretation of American constitutional law 
        ever written;
Whereas Alexander Hamilton was the most important individual force in achieving 
        the ratification of the Constitution in New York against the strong 
        opposition of many of the delegates to the ratifying convention;
Whereas Alexander Hamilton was the leading voice of the founding generation in 
        support of the controversial doctrine of judicial review, which is the 
        backbone for the role of the Supreme Court in the constitutional system 
        of the United States;
Whereas on September 11, 1789, Alexander Hamilton was appointed by President 
        George Washington to be the first Secretary of the Treasury;
Whereas as Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton salvaged the public 
        credit, created the first Bank of the United States, and outlined the 
        basic economic vision of a mixed agricultural and manufacturing society 
        supported by a strong financial system that would underlie the great 
        economic expansion of the United States for the next 2 centuries;
Whereas Alexander Hamilton was the leading proponent among the Founding Fathers 
        of encouraging a strong manufacturing base for the United States in 
        order to create good paying middle-class jobs and encourage a society 
        built on merit rather than class or skin color;
Whereas in pursuit of this vision Alexander Hamilton founded The Society for 
        Establishing Useful Manufactures which in turn founded the town of 
        Paterson, New Jersey, one of the first industrial centers of the United 
        States;
Whereas Alexander Hamilton proposed and oversaw the creation of the Coast Guard 
        for law enforcement in territorial waters of the United States;
Whereas in 1798, President John Adams called upon Alexander Hamilton to raise an 
        army in preparation for a possible war with France and, as Inspector 
        General of the Army, he trained a powerful force of well-equipped 
        soldiers who were able to help deter war at this vulnerable stage in the 
        founding of the United States;
Whereas throughout the founding era Alexander Hamilton was the leading advocate 
        of a strong national union led by an efficient Federal Government with 
        significant protections for individual liberties;
Whereas on July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton was fatally wounded in a duel in 
        Weehawken, New Jersey at the hands of Vice President Aaron Burr; and
Whereas Alexander Hamilton died in Manhattan on July 12, 1804, and was eulogized 
        across the country as one of the leading visionaries of the founding 
        era: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) honors the great importance of the life and legacy of 
        Alexander Hamilton to the United States of America on the 
        bicentennial of his death;
            (2) recognizes the tremendous significance of the 
        contributions of Alexander Hamilton to the United States as a 
        soldier, citizen, and statesman; and
            (3) urges the people of the United States to share in this 
        commemoration so as to gain a greater appreciation of the 
        critical role that Alexander Hamilton had in defense of 
        America's freedom and the founding of the United States.
                                 <all>