[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 14, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S637-S638]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 375--CELEBRATING THE BICENTENNIAL OF THE CITY OF 
            COLUMBUS, THE CAPITAL CITY OF THE STATE OF OHIO

  Mr. BROWN of Ohio (for himself and Mr. Portman) submitted the 
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 375

       Whereas in 1787, Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance 
     to settle claims following the American Revolution and begin 
     the westward expansion of our Nation;
       Whereas in 1803, Ohio was admitted as the 17th State in the 
     Union, becoming the first territory of the Northwest 
     Ordinance to achieve statehood;
       Whereas in 1812, the Ohio General Assembly was offered land 
     along the Scioto River in Central Ohio to serve as the 
     capital of the State, due to its central location;
       Whereas on February 14, 1812, the Ohio General Assembly 
     officially designated the new capital city as Columbus, in 
     honor of Christopher Columbus;
       Whereas Columbus emerged as a trading and transportation 
     hub through the influence of the Ohio & Erie Canal and the 
     National Highway;
       Whereas on March 3, 1834, 31 years after Ohio achieved 
     statehood, Columbus was officially chartered as a city 
     because of its growing population;
       Whereas during the Civil War, Columbus was home to Camp 
     Chase, a major base for the Union Army that housed 26,000 
     troops, Camp Jackson, an assembly center for recruits, and 
     Columbus Barracks, which served as an arsenal;
       Whereas Columbus was a major outpost on the Underground 
     Railroad, led by the Kelton family, who assisted fugitive 
     slaves on their road to freedom;
       Whereas in 1870, the Ohio General Assembly used to the 
     Morrill Land Grant Act to create the Ohio Agricultural and 
     Mechanical College, which was renamed the Ohio State 
     University in 1878 and is presently one of the Nation's 
     premier public universities and an anchor for economic 
     activity in the City of Columbus;
       Whereas Columbus is home to other world-class institutions 
     of higher learning, including Capital University, established 
     in 1830, Columbus College of Art and Design, established in 
     1879, Pontifical College Josephinum, established in 1888, 
     Franklin University, established in 1902, Mount Carmel 
     College of Nursing, established in 1903, Ohio Dominican 
     University, established in 1911, and Columbus State Community 
     College, established in 1963;
       Whereas Columbus is home to some of the Nation's earliest 
     schools for Americans living with disabilities, having 
     established the Ohio School for the Deaf in 1829 and the Ohio 
     State School for the Blind in 1837;
       Whereas Columbus is of historical importance to the 
     organized labor movement, as one of the Nation's first 
     federations of labor, the American Federation of Labor, was 
     founded in Columbus in 1886;
       Whereas the American Veterans of Foreign Service, the 
     earliest organization of veterans of foreign wars, was 
     founded in Columbus in 1899;
       Whereas in the late 19th century and the early 20th 
     century, Columbus saw the rise of manufacturing and steel 
     businesses, brewers,

[[Page S638]]

     and cultural and arts institutions, such as the Southern 
     Theatre;
       Whereas leading retail corporations, health care and 
     insurance companies, and financial institutions call Columbus 
     their home, attracted by the city's world-class workforce and 
     cultural outlets;
       Whereas Columbus serves as a leader in cutting-edge medical 
     research and hospital systems through the Ohio State Medical 
     Center and the Arthur James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. 
     Solove Research Institute, Nationwide Children's Hospital, 
     Mt. Carmel Hospital, Riverside Community Hospital, and Grant 
     Medical Center;
       Whereas Columbus is home to green space and parks that are 
     used as both community gathering locations and to honor 
     pioneers, including Shrum Mound, one of the last remaining 
     conical burial mounds in the United States, which dates back 
     more than 2,000 years;
       Whereas Columbus is also home to the Midwest's largest 
     Fourth of July Festival and the famed Ohio State Fair;
       Whereas Columbus combines excellence in art and culture 
     with professional sports teams such as the Columbus Clippers, 
     the Columbus Crew, and the Columbus Blue Jackets;
       Whereas Columbus is Ohio's most populous city and the 15th 
     largest city in the United States, as well as one of the 
     fastest growing cities in the Eastern United States;
       Whereas February 14, 2012, marks the 200th anniversary of 
     the founding of Columbus, Ohio; and
       Whereas the citizens of Columbus will commemorate a year-
     long bicentennial celebration with the theme of ``Honor the 
     Past. Celebrate the Present. Envision the Future.'': Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) celebrates the bicentennial anniversary of the founding 
     of the City of Columbus, the capital of the State of Ohio; 
     and
       (2) honors the important economic, cultural, educational, 
     and artistic contributions that the people of Columbus have 
     made to this Nation over the past 200 years.

                          ____________________