[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 93 (Tuesday, July 18, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S7162]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WARNER (for himself and Mr. Robb):
  S. 2885. A bill to establish the Jamestown 400th Commemoration 
Commission, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.


            the jamestown 400th commemoration commission act

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, today I introduce legislation to establish 
a federal commission to join the Commonwealth of Virginia in preparing 
for the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown settlement, 
the first permanent English settlement in the United States.
  In a little more than six years, America will observe one of its most 
important anniversaries with the celebration of the Jamestown 
quadricentennial. On May 13, 1607, nearly five months after setting 
sail from London, a group of 104 English men and boys selected a site 
on the banks of Virginia's James River as their new home. Settling 
Jamestown was a momentous event in American history.
  While the Spanish founded St. Augustine in Florida in the 1560's and 
the English attempted to colonize Roanoke Island in North Carolina in 
the 1580's, Jamestown was America's first successful, permanent 
European settlement. Jamestown is the birthplace of our nation, and is 
where representative government in the Americas began. The founding of 
Jamestown marks the beginning of what Alex de Toqueville described as 
the United States' ``great experiment'' in democracy.
  The establishment of Jamestown remains a cornerstone event in 
American history because of the lasting traditions that the English 
brought with them, including the legacy of language and common law that 
have shaped our great republic for decades.
  Celebrating the 400th Anniversary of Jamestown marks an important 
opportunity to remember and reflect on how our ancestors established 
Virginia: how they treated America's original inhabitants, the Indians, 
and how the slave trade was begun. While injustice is a major part of 
this historical legacy, it is also the legacy that marked the beginning 
of our rich cultural heritage that defines the United States today.
  With the 2007 celebration we have a chance to properly remember a 
story--too often glossed over--of the ``darker side of the Jamestown 
legacy'' as one scholar has noted, ``a legacy of slavery; of warfare 
and conquest; of the displacement and decimation of Native Americans; 
of damage to the natural environment.''
  The history of Jamestown is rich, complex, tragic and inspirational. 
Certainly, an important part of Jamestown's history is the beginning of 
the distinct American spirit of exploration and adventure. The 
Jamestown adventure led directly to the formation of the great American 
principles of rule of law, religious and political freedom and the 
rights of man. The establishment of these pillars of American 
government was, again, unique in the history of man and government. The 
United States stands today as the world's longest lived, continuous 
democratic republic in existence today.
  The Jamestown story is also the story of the beginning of truly 
global commerce. Not only was the establishment of Jamestown a 
commercial venture, it was a venture that coincided with an emerging 
worldwide capitalism. The landing was one of many efforts by primarily 
western European countries to go beyond a country's boundaries in 
search of commercially important natural resources.
  The English came to Virginia looking for economic gain, but found 
personal freedom. They quickly found that the British model of 
government was not well-suited to the challenges of the New World.
  Americans have joined in celebrating Jamestown's founding with major 
events during the past two centuries, most recently in 1957. These 
occasions have been marked with parades to an eight-month international 
exposition.
  The 2007 Jamestown celebration will allow us to learn from our past 
as we prepare for the future. It is a national event that deserves our 
national attention and commemoration. The commission will bring the 
many talents of noted historians and scholars together with the 
Commonwealth's plans to fully observe the Jamestown experiment and its 
lasting contributions to our society.
  Mr. ROBB. Mr. President, I want to join my senior colleague today in 
introducing legislation that will establish a Federal commission to 
commemorate the founding of the English colony at Jamestown nearly 400 
years ago. Jamestown, the first permanent English Colony in the new 
world, holds enormous significance for us as a nation. We are an 
English speaking nation and our laws are based on English law. The 
history of Jamestown is the earliest history of the United States, and 
our culture still reflects those beginnings.
  Jamestown was the capitol of Virginia for 92 years and was the center 
of cultural activity for the new colony. The celebration of the 400th 
anniversary of the founding of Jamestown is important to Virginia, and 
the Nation. In order to ensure that the celebration be conducted in a 
way that all Americans can appreciate and share in the history of 
Jamestown, we propose to establish a federal commission that will 
assist in developing federal activities that will complement those 
programs and activities undertaken by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
  Currently the Commonwealth of Virginia and the federal government, 
through the Department of Interior, work together at Jamestown to tell 
the story of the early colonial times. The commission will provide 
additional assistance, and coordination and will provide support for 
the scholarly research that is ongoing at the Jamestown site. The 
commission can help ensure that the celebration of our earliest history 
is accessible to a broad range of Americans, and not just those in the 
immediate vicinity of the original colony.
  The authority for the Commission will terminate one year after the 
Jamestown celebration in 2007 and after completing a report on its 
activities. The report will not only tell the story of the Jamestown 
celebration, but will provide guideposts and information for national 
celebrations in the future. Having an end to the commission's work will 
ensure that the organization will not outlive its usefulness. The 
planning for this wonderful celebration has already begun, and so I ask 
for quick consideration of this legislation so that we can move forward 
together.
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