Whereas Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, to
Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Finch in Monroeville, Alabama;
Whereas Nelle Harper Lee wrote the novel To Kill a
Mockingbird
portraying life in the 1930s in the fictional small
southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, which was modeled on Monroeville, Alabama,
the hometown of Ms. Lee;
Whereas To Kill a Mockingbird
addressed the
issue of racial inequality in the United States by revealing the humanity of a
community grappling with moral conflict;
Whereas To Kill a Mockingbird
was first
published in 1960 and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961;
Whereas To Kill a Mockingbird
was the basis
for the 1962 Academy Award-winning film of the same name starring Gregory
Peck;
Whereas To Kill a Mockingbird
is one of the
great American novels of the 20th century, having been published in more than
40 languages and having sold more than 30,000,000 copies;
Whereas, in 2007, Nelle Harper Lee was inducted into the
American Academy of Arts and Letters;
Whereas, in 2007, President George W. Bush awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom to Nelle Harper Lee for her great contributions
to literature and observed, To Kill a Mockingbird
has
influenced the character of our country for the better
, and As a
model of good writing and humane sensibility, this book will be read and
studied forever
; and
Whereas To Kill a Mockingbird
is celebrated
each year in Monroeville, Alabama through public performances featuring local
amateur actors: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)recognizes the
historic milestone of the 50th anniversary of the publication of To Kill
a Mockingbird
; and
(2)honors the
outstanding achievement of Nelle Harper Lee in the field of American literature
in authoring To Kill a Mockingbird
.