[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 10422-10423]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  CELEBRATING POLISH CONSTITUTION DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RAHM EMANUEL

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 1, 2003

  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in celebration of Polish 
Constitution Day, Saturday, May 3rd. More than 111,000 people of Polish 
descent live in the Fifth Congressional District of Illinois. 
Amazingly, Chicago has more people of Polish descent than any other 
city except Warsaw, and I know they will all be reflecting on their 
proud heritage this Saturday.
  Members of this body may not be aware of the Third of May 
Constitution, but passed on May 3, 1791, it was the second constitution 
in the world--second only to the Constitution of the United States. It 
was the first in Europe. This important event in the history of Poland, 
indeed the history of the world, is too often overlooked. Recently, 
however, there has been a movement to resurrect the memory of this 
important event, and today I stand before you in honor of its 
significance.
  Slavic in origin, Poland has a tremendous history of more than a 
thousand years. During that time it has been invaded, occupied and 
liberated on numerous occasions. Yet, throughout a tumultuous history, 
Poland has remained uniquely Polish. Today Poland plays a vital role in 
Eastern Europe and is a friend to the United States.
  Like most of Europe, Poland began life as a feudal state. But it also 
has a rich democratic history. In 1346 Casimir the Great established 
the first Polish legal code and in 1364 laid the foundation of Krakow 
University, providing two vital ingredients for democracy--rule of law 
and an educated populace. In 1430, Poland established the ``Nieminem 
Captivabimus,'' similar to our Habeas Corpus. By 1493, Poland 
established a Parliament with two houses, a Senate of dignitaries, and 
the Sejm which consisted of elected representatives. Following 1505, 
Parliament's consent was required for all new laws. The Third of

[[Page 10423]]

May Constitution represents the culmination of these democratic 
reforms.
  On May 3rd, 1791, the Sejm passed the Government Act, or what is 
today known as the Third of May Constitution. Embracing Enlightenment 
ideals like Rousseau's doctrine of national sovereignty and 
Montesquieu's concepts of a tripartite government, the Third of May 
Constitution demonstrates Poland's important role in helping to 
establish the modern world. While the Government Act still retained 
some resemblances of Poland's feudal heritage, it extended rights to 
citizens who previously had little or no rights. Peasants, for example, 
were officially placed under the protection of the ``law and government 
of the country.'' Unfortunately, soon after enactment Russia invaded 
Poland and the country was partitioned by Germany and Russia, 
abolishing the Constitution. Still, Poland can proudly look back on 
1791 as a time when Poland helped establish modern democracy.
  Mr. Speaker, on Saturday I look forward to joining the people of my 
district, as well as those of Polish descent around the world, in 
celebrating the common bond of democracy. I hope the members of this 
body will join me in saluting this important day.

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