[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 388 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 388

 Commemorating the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and ``The Star 
Spangled Banner'', and recognizing the historical significance, heroic 
 human endeavor, and sacrifice of the United States Army, Navy, Marine 
 Corps, and Revenue Marine Service, and State militias, during the War 
                                of 1812.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 1, 2012

  Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Portman, Mr. Kerry, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. 
Levin, and Mr. Sessions) submitted the following resolution; which was 
                        considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Commemorating the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and ``The Star 
Spangled Banner'', and recognizing the historical significance, heroic 
 human endeavor, and sacrifice of the United States Army, Navy, Marine 
 Corps, and Revenue Marine Service, and State militias, during the War 
                                of 1812.

Whereas the period beginning in 2012 and ending in 2015 marks the bicentennial 
        celebration of the War of 1812 and ``The Star Spangled Banner'';
Whereas the War of 1812, which has been referred to as the ``Second War of 
        Independence'', confirmed the independence of the United States from 
        Great Britain in the eyes of the world and shaped the expansion and 
        growth of the United States in later decades;
Whereas the United States declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812, to 
        redress wrongs including--

    (1) the impressment of United States sailors;

    (2) the violation of the neutrality rights of the United States; and

    (3) the violation of the territorial waters of the United States;

Whereas, despite the vastly superior size of the military of Great Britain, the 
        United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Revenue Marine Service (a 
        predecessor of the United States Coast Guard), and State militias (the 
        predecessors of the National Guard), won a number of significant 
        victories, ensuring that the liberties won by the United States during 
        the Revolutionary War were not lost;
Whereas major battles of the War of 1812 that were fought on the water, 
        including the battle between U.S.S. Constitution and H.M.S. Guerriere, 
        the Battle of Lake Champlain, and victories on the Great Lakes, 
        showcased the might, bravery, and war-fighting tactics of the United 
        States maritime forces;
Whereas the decisive victory of Oliver Hazard Perry over a British fleet near 
        Put-In-Bay, Ohio in the Battle of Lake Erie ensured that--

    (1) the United States gained control of the Great Lakes; and

    (2) portions of the Old Northwest Territory, such as Ohio, Michigan, 
Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, remained part of the United States;

Whereas State militias, the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United 
        States, answered the call to service, defending their communities and 
        their country from aggression by Great Britain;
Whereas United States forces seized the city of Mobile from Spanish control in 
        1813, built Fort Bowyer to protect the city, and in 1814 successfully 
        repelled a vastly larger British force from the city, resulting in 
        Mobile becoming one of the few permanent land concessions gained by the 
        United States during the War of 1812;
Whereas Great Britain unleashed grievous attacks on the capital of the United 
        States, Washington, D.C., burning to the ground the United States 
        Capitol Building, the White House, and much of the rest of the city;
Whereas, after 2 \1/2\ years of conflict, the British Royal Navy sailed up the 
        Chesapeake Bay in an attempt to capture Baltimore, Maryland;
Whereas United States forces at Fort McHenry, stationed in the outer harbor of 
        Baltimore, Maryland under the command of Brevet Lieutenant Colonel 
        George Armistead, withstood nearly 25 hours of bombardment by the 
        British forces and refused to yield, thereby forcing the British to give 
        up the invasion and withdraw;
Whereas Francis Scott Key, a United States lawyer who was being held by the 
        British on board a United States flag-of-truce vessel in the harbor, saw 
        ``by the dawn's early light'', as Key would later write, an American 
        flag still flying over Fort McHenry after the horrific attack;
Whereas Francis Scott Key immortalized the event in a poem entitled ``Defense of 
        Fort McHenry'', which was later set to music and called ``The Star-
        Spangled Banner'';
Whereas ``The Star-Spangled Banner'' became the national anthem of the United 
        States on March 3, 1931, when President Herbert Hoover signed Public Law 
        71-823;
Whereas General Andrew Jackson, who would later become the seventh President of 
        the United States, won the Battle of Horsehoe Bend and then triumphed in 
        the decisive Battle of New Orleans, which, although fought after the 
        signing of the Treaty of Ghent, was a great source of pride to the young 
        United States and provided momentum for growth and prosperity in the 
        years that would follow;
Whereas, since 1916, the people of the United States have entrusted the National 
        Park Service with the care of national parks and sites of historical 
        significance to the country, including Fort McHenry and more than 30 
        other sites and National Heritage Areas that tell the story of the War 
        of 1812;
Whereas the diverse historic sites relating to the War of 1812 include homes, 
        battlefields, and landscapes that highlight the contributions made by a 
        wide range of people in the United States during the war;
Whereas one such historic site is the Fort McHenry National Monument and 
        Historic Shrine, the birthplace of ``The Star Spangled Banner'', where 
        the symbols of both the flag and the national anthem of the United 
        States come together;
Whereas the people of the United States are grateful for the rights defended 
        through hard fighting during the War of 1812 by the United States Army, 
        Navy, Marine Corps, and Revenue Marine Service, and State militias, 
        including the protection of United States citizens at home and abroad, 
        unrestricted trade, free and open ports, and the protection of the 
        territorial integrity of the United States against aggression; and
Whereas, during the bicentennial years of the War of 1812 and ``The Star 
        Spangled Banner'', it is fitting that the bravery and steadfast 
        determination of the United States land and maritime forces be 
        celebrated by the grateful people of the United States: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) honors the memory of all the people of the United 
        States who came together during the War of 1812, particularly 
        the fallen heroes who gave their lives during the ``Second War 
        of Independence'';
            (2) commends the men and women of the United States Army, 
        Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, and the State 
        National Guards, who preserve the ideals of freedom, democracy, 
        and the pursuit of happiness that were guaranteed by the 
        victories of the War of 1812;
            (3) congratulates the Armed Forces of the United States, 
        the National Parks Service, the Maryland War of 1812 
        Bicentennial Commission, and all other organizations and 
        individuals who are involved in preserving and promoting the 
        history of this great country, and supports their commemoration 
        of the War of 1812 and ``The Star Spangled Banner''; and
            (4) calls on all people of the United States to join in the 
        commemoration of the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and ``The 
        Star Spangled Banner'' in events throughout the United States, 
        to celebrate that at the end of the war, as Francis Scott Key 
        wrote, ``our flag was still there''.
                                 <all>