[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 181 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 181

Recognizing the sesquicentennial of West Virginia and commemorating its 
                     history, people, and culture.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 21, 2013

 Mr. Rockefeller (for himself and Mr. Manchin) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the sesquicentennial of West Virginia and commemorating its 
                     history, people, and culture.

Whereas Alexander Spotswood, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, led a westward 
        expedition in 1716, claiming land beyond the Allegheny Mountains for 
        King George I;
Whereas early settlement of present-day West Virginia began in the Eastern 
        Panhandle, with development of western areas to follow;
Whereas slave abolitionist John Brown launched an ill-fated raid on a United 
        States arsenal in Harpers Ferry in 1859 and was later convicted of 
        treason, conspiracy, and murder in nearby Charles Town, inflaming anti- 
        and pro-slavery factions in the North and the South;
Whereas citizens in the region opposed the decision of Virginia during the Civil 
        War to secede from the United States;
Whereas West Virginia was admitted to the Union by Congress on June 20, 1863, 
        following a proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln, making it the 
        only State created from the Civil War;
Whereas the bold decision of those first West Virginians resonates today with 
        the words of the official State motto, ``Montani Semper Liberi'', 
        meaning ``West Virginians Are Always Free'';
Whereas West Virginia is the only state located entirely within the Appalachian 
        Mountains;
Whereas the industries in West Virginia are wedded to its land, supplying 15 
        percent of the coal in the United States, forging steel, producing 
        timber, and fostering a present-day boom in natural gas production, and 
        to its innovations including burgeoning biometrics and automotive 
        industries;
Whereas the workers of West Virginia are the salt of the earth and set hard work 
        as a cornerstone of a life rich with pride, especially its miners who 
        daily travel deep underground to mine the coal that keeps the United 
        States humming;
Whereas the sense of patriotism in West Virginia runs deep and true, as the 
        State has the highest number of men and women per capita serving the 
        United States in the Armed Forces and a population of veterans wholly 
        dedicated to making sure all who serve are supported;
Whereas the communities in West Virginia exemplify the phrase ``neighbor helping 
        neighbor'';
Whereas the awe-inspiring landscapes of the Mountain State grant residents and 
        tourists the chance to climb mountains, fish streams, hunt in forests, 
        raft rapids, and traverse trails, making tourism one of the preeminent 
        economic drivers of the State;
Whereas West Virginia is home to the longest steel arch bridge in the world, the 
        New River Gorge Bridge, which spans 1,815 feet over the New River 
        Canyon, and the highest peak in the State is Spruce Knob, sitting at 
        4,861 feet above sea level;
Whereas West Virginia has seen important inventions, including the first 
        steamboat, the first iron furnace, the first electric railroad, the 
        first glass plant, and the first pottery plant;
Whereas the heritage of West Virginia can be felt in its handmade creations, 
        from quilts and woodwork to dinnerware and paintings, heard in its 
        mountain music, from hometown jamborees to fiddle-playing on front 
        porches and songs from well-worn hymnals, and enjoyed in its unique 
        cuisine, from pepperoni rolls to wild ramps and buckwheat cakes with 
        sausage;
Whereas many icons hold their roots in West Virginia, from General Thomas 
        ``Stonewall'' Jackson to Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck, 
        educational leader Booker T. Washington, Mother's Day founder Anna 
        Jarvis, and Brigadier General Charles ``Chuck'' Yeager; and
Whereas, during a rainy centennial celebration on the front steps of the Capitol 
        of West Virginia in Charleston on June 20, 1963, President John F. 
        Kennedy proclaimed, ``The sun does not always shine in West Virginia but 
        the people always do'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) observes the sesquicentennial of West Virginia; and
            (2) celebrates the remarkable heritage and contributions of 
        the people of West Virginia.
                                 <all>