[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 57 (Thursday, April 10, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                187TH ANNIVERSARY OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE

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                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 10, 2008

  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, on March 25, 2008, we celebrated the 
187th anniversary of Greek independence. I join with millions of Greek 
Americans in Connecticut and across the country in marking the 
anniversary of the successful rebellion of the Greek people against the 
Ottoman Empire.
  This anniversary offers us an opportunity to reflect on the long 
standing bonds between Greece and the United States. Our Founding 
Fathers drew from the ideals of ancient Greece, whose leaders wrote 
about the ideas of a republic. Thomas Jefferson called ancient Greece 
the ``light which led ourselves out of Gothic darkness.'' In turn, 
Greek patriot Adamantios Koraes in 1823 collaborated with Jefferson on 
the construction of a new constitution for Greece, drawing on the 
tenets of America's groundbreaking democracy.
  Following the Greek War of Independence. Greeks came to study at 
American universities at the urging of missionaries. But the real surge 
in Greek immigration came later in the 19th century, when newly arrived 
Greek Americans provided a catalyst for our Nation's economic growth, 
working in textile mills and on railroads across New England and in 
businesses across America. The Greeks who had provided inspiration for 
our democracy, now directly delivered their commitment to family and 
hard work to form strong communities in New York, Boston, Chicago, 
Detroit, Hartford, and across eastern Connecticut to add to the fabric 
of our American society. Today, over 3 million Americans claim Greek 
heritage, the descendants of the fathers and mothers of democracy.
  As we recognize this important anniversary of Greek independence, I 
join in delivering the best wishes and congratulations from the 
American people to the people of Greece. We celebrate the historic ties 
between our two nations, and the legacy of democracy we have together 
shared with the world.




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