[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 24, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            ST. DAVID'S DAY

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. H. MORGAN GRIFFITH

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 24, 2021

  Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise to note the upcoming celebration 
of St. David's Day on March 1. The feast day of St. David, the patron 
saint of Wales, offers the opportunity to honor Welsh culture and 
heritage and note the links between Wales and the United States.
  The Welsh were among the early settlers who emigrated from the 
British Isles to North America, and they came with the same motivations 
that brought many generations from all over the world to our shores, 
including the pursuit of religious liberty and the opportunity to 
create a better life for themselves and their descendants. The man 
remembered as the first Welsh settler, Howell Powell, arrived in 
Virginia from Brecon in 1642. After William Penn founded Pennsylvania 
in 1681, having considered naming it New Wales, a large group of Welsh 
Quakers settled in the colony.
  A century later, the Industrial Revolution brought a renewed wave of 
Welsh settlement to the United States. Immigrants from Wales farmed 
land, mined coal, made steel, and worked in a variety of other 
industries that powered U.S. economic ascendancy.
  We see the contributions of Wales to American history and culture in 
other ways, too. At least five signers of the Declaration of 
Independence had a Welsh background, including its primary author 
Thomas Jefferson. At least eight of our presidents have similarly come 
from Welsh descent.
  The ties between Wales and the United States are not merely historic 
but remain vibrant today. Welsh companies conduct business in the 
United States and keep Americans on their payrolls. As of 2019, the 
United States was the largest export market for Wales outside Europe.
  In the House of Representatives, I serve as Chairman of the 
Congressional Friends of Wales Caucus, devoted to celebrating and 
strengthening the ties between our two nations. Each year I look 
forward to our St. David's Day reception on Capitol Hill, attended by 
members of the Welsh community in the United States, leading officials 
in the Welsh government, and Members of Congress. Unfortunately, the 
reception will not go on as usual this year, but I will nevertheless be 
wearing a daffodil on March 1 to mark the holiday.
  The last words of St. David were said to be, ``Be joyful, keep the 
faith, and do the little things that you have heard and seen me do.'' 
People of Welsh heritage have come to embody this message in their 
contributions to the United States and have not done only little things 
but great things as well. On this St. David's Day, as one of the 
millions of Americans with Welsh ancestry, I take pride in the 
accomplishments produced by the partnership between Wales and the 
United States and look forward to those to come.

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