[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 133 (Thursday, November 18, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11510-S11511]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON

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                    NATIONAL CHILDREN'S MEMORIAL DAY

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in

[[Page S11511]]

order for the Judiciary Committee to be discharged from further 
consideration en bloc of the following and the Senate proceed en bloc 
to their immediate consideration: S. Con. Res. 123 and S. Res. 436.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
concurrent resolution and resolution be agreed to, en bloc, the 
preambles be agreed to, en bloc, and that any statements relating to 
the measures be printed in the Record, and the consideration of these 
items appear separately, with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 123) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution (S. Res. 436) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolutions, with their preambles, read as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 123

       Whereas Alexander Hamilton dedicated his life to serving 
     his adopted country as a Revolutionary soldier, aide-de-camp 
     to General George Washington, Representative to the 
     Continental Congress, member of the New York State Assembly, 
     first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, and 
     Inspector General of the Army;
       Whereas Alexander Hamilton was a poor teenage immigrant to 
     New York from the West Indian Islands of Nevis and St. Croix;
       Whereas in the early days of the Revolutionary War 
     Alexander Hamilton was commissioned as a captain and raised 
     and trained his own New York artillery regiment and served 
     valiantly in the battles of Long Island and Manhattan;
       Whereas Alexander Hamilton quickly captured the attention 
     of General George Washington who made him his aide-de-camp 
     and confidant throughout the most difficult days of the 
     Revolutionary War;
       Whereas in 1781, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton of 
     the Continental Army led a bold attack of New York troops 
     during the siege of Yorktown, the decisive and final battle 
     of the Revolutionary War;
       Whereas in 1782, Alexander Hamilton was elected as a member 
     of the Continental Congress from New York;
       Whereas as a private citizen Alexander Hamilton served many 
     philanthropic causes and was a co-founder of the New York 
     Manumission Society, the first abolitionist organization in 
     New York and a major influence on the abolition of slavery 
     from the State;
       Whereas Alexander Hamilton was a strong and consistent 
     advocate against slavery and believed that Blacks and Whites 
     were equal citizens and equal in their mental and physical 
     faculties;
       Whereas Alexander Hamilton was one of the first members of 
     the founding generation to call for a convention to 
     drastically revise the Articles of Confederation;
       Whereas Alexander Hamilton joined James Madison in 
     Annapolis, Maryland in 1786 to officially request that the 
     States call a constitutional convention;
       Whereas Alexander Hamilton was elected as a delegate to the 
     Constitutional Convention of 1787 from New York, where he 
     played an influential role and was the only delegate from New 
     York to sign the Constitution;
       Whereas Alexander Hamilton was the primary author of the 
     Federalist Papers, the single most influential interpretation 
     of American constitutional law ever written;
       Whereas Alexander Hamilton was the most important 
     individual force in achieving the ratification of the 
     Constitution in New York against the strong opposition of 
     many of the delegates to the ratifying convention;
       Whereas Alexander Hamilton was the leading voice of the 
     founding generation in support of the controversial doctrine 
     of judicial review, which is the backbone for the role of the 
     Supreme Court in the constitutional system of the United 
     States;
       Whereas on September 11, 1789, Alexander Hamilton was 
     appointed by President George Washington to be the first 
     Secretary of the Treasury;
       Whereas as Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton 
     salvaged the public credit, created the first Bank of the 
     United States, and outlined the basic economic vision of a 
     mixed agricultural and manufacturing society supported by a 
     strong financial system that would underlie the great 
     economic expansion of the United States for the next 2 
     centuries;
       Whereas Alexander Hamilton was the leading proponent among 
     the Founding Fathers of encouraging a strong manufacturing 
     base for the United States in order to create good paying 
     middle-class jobs and encourage a society built on merit 
     rather than class or skin color;
       Whereas in pursuit of this vision Alexander Hamilton 
     founded The Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures 
     which in turn founded the town of Paterson, New Jersey, one 
     of the first industrial centers of the United States;
       Whereas Alexander Hamilton proposed and oversaw the 
     creation of the Coast Guard for law enforcement in 
     territorial waters of the United States;
       Whereas in 1798, President John Adams called upon Alexander 
     Hamilton to raise an army in preparation for a possible war 
     with France and, as Inspector General of the Army, he trained 
     a powerful force of well-equipped soldiers who were able to 
     help deter war at this vulnerable stage in the founding of 
     the United States;
       Whereas throughout the founding era Alexander Hamilton was 
     the leading advocate of a strong national union led by an 
     efficient Federal Government with significant protections for 
     individual liberties;
       Whereas on July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton was fatally 
     wounded in a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey at the hands of 
     Vice President Aaron Burr; and
       Whereas Alexander Hamilton died in Manhattan on July 12, 
     1804, and was eulogized across the country as one of the 
     leading visionaries of the founding era: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) honors the great importance of the life and legacy of 
     Alexander Hamilton to the United States of America on the 
     bicentennial of his death;
       (2) recognizes the tremendous significance of the 
     contributions of Alexander Hamilton to the United States as a 
     soldier, citizen, and statesman; and
       (3) urges the people of the United States to share in this 
     commemoration so as to gain a greater appreciation of the 
     critical role that Alexander Hamilton had in defense of 
     America's freedom and the founding of the United States.

                              S. Res. 436

       Whereas approximately 80,000 infants, children, teenagers, 
     and young adults of families living throughout the United 
     States die each year from myriad causes;
       Whereas the death of an infant, child, teenager, or young 
     adult of a family is considered to be one of the greatest 
     tragedies that a prevent or family will ever endure during a 
     lifetime;
       Whereas a supportive environment, empathy, and 
     understanding are considered critical factors in the healing 
     process of a family that is coping with and recovering from 
     the loss of a loved one; and
       Whereas April is National Child Abuse Prevention month: 
     Now, therefore, be it
     Resolved,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF NATIONAL CHILDREN'S MEMORIAL DAY.

       The Senate--
       (1) designates the second Sunday in the month of December 
     2004 as ``National Children's Memorial Day''; and
       (2) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
     calling upon the people of the United States to observe 
     ``National Children's Memorial Day'' with appropriate 
     ceremonies and activities in remembrance of the many infants, 
     children, teenagers, and young adults of families in the 
     United States who have died.

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