III 112th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 375 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 14, 2012 Mr. Brown of Ohio (for himself and Mr. Portman) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Celebrating the bicentennial of the City of Columbus, the capital city of the State of Ohio.

Whereas in 1787, Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance to settle claims following the American Revolution and begin the westward expansion of our Nation; Whereas in 1803, Ohio was admitted as the 17th State in the Union, becoming the first territory of the Northwest Ordinance to achieve statehood; Whereas in 1812, the Ohio General Assembly was offered land along the Scioto River in Central Ohio to serve as the capital of the State, due to its central location; Whereas on February 14, 1812, the Ohio General Assembly officially designated the new capital city as Columbus, in honor of Christopher Columbus; Whereas Columbus emerged as a trading and transportation hub through the influence of the Ohio & Erie Canal and the National Highway; Whereas on March 3, 1834, 31 years after Ohio achieved statehood, Columbus was officially chartered as a city because of its growing population; Whereas during the Civil War, Columbus was home to Camp Chase, a major base for the Union Army that housed 26,000 troops, Camp Jackson, an assembly center for recruits, and Columbus Barracks, which served as an arsenal; Whereas Columbus was a major outpost on the Underground Railroad, led by the Kelton family, who assisted fugitive slaves on their road to freedom; Whereas in 1870, the Ohio General Assembly used to the Morrill Land Grant Act to create the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College, which was renamed the Ohio State University in 1878 and is presently one of the Nation’s premier public universities and an anchor for economic activity in the City of Columbus; Whereas Columbus is home to other world-class institutions of higher learning, including Capital University, established in 1830, Columbus College of Art and Design, established in 1879, Pontifical College Josephinum, established in 1888, Franklin University, established in 1902, Mount Carmel College of Nursing, established in 1903, Ohio Dominican University, established in 1911, and Columbus State Community College, established in 1963; Whereas Columbus is home to some of the Nation’s earliest schools for Americans living with disabilities, having established the Ohio School for the Deaf in 1829 and the Ohio State School for the Blind in 1837; Whereas Columbus is of historical importance to the organized labor movement, as one of the Nation’s first federations of labor, the American Federation of Labor, was founded in Columbus in 1886; Whereas the American Veterans of Foreign Service, the earliest organization of veterans of foreign wars, was founded in Columbus in 1899; Whereas in the late 19th century and the early 20th century, Columbus saw the rise of manufacturing and steel businesses, brewers, and cultural and arts institutions, such as the Southern Theatre; Whereas leading retail corporations, health care and insurance companies, and financial institutions call Columbus their home, attracted by the city's world-class workforce and cultural outlets; Whereas Columbus serves as a leader in cutting-edge medical research and hospital systems through the Ohio State Medical Center and the Arthur James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Mt. Carmel Hospital, Riverside Community Hospital, and Grant Medical Center; Whereas Columbus is home to green space and parks that are used as both community gathering locations and to honor pioneers, including Shrum Mound, one of the last remaining conical burial mounds in the United States, which dates back more than 2,000 years; Whereas Columbus is also home to the Midwest’s largest Fourth of July Festival and the famed Ohio State Fair; Whereas Columbus combines excellence in art and culture with professional sports teams such as the Columbus Clippers, the Columbus Crew, and the Columbus Blue Jackets; Whereas Columbus is Ohio’s most populous city and the 15th largest city in the United States, as well as one of the fastest growing cities in the Eastern United States; Whereas February 14, 2012, marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of Columbus, Ohio; and Whereas the citizens of Columbus will commemorate a year-long bicentennial celebration with the theme of Honor the Past. Celebrate the Present. Envision the Future.: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)celebrates the bicentennial anniversary of the founding of the City of Columbus, the capital of the State of Ohio; and (2)honors the important economic, cultural, educational, and artistic contributions that the people of Columbus have made to this Nation over the past 200 years.