[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 10277]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   COMMEMORATING THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SETTLEMENT OF JAMESTOWN

  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 172, which was submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 172) commemorating the 400th 
     anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, in a few short weeks, America will 
commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, the 
first permanent English settlement in the New World. It is an event 
that I, along with many of my fellow Virginians and Americans, have 
looked upon with great anticipation.
  Jamestown's anniversaries have always been major national patriotic 
events, and this year will be no different. Visitors and dignitaries 
from all over the world will converge on the site, where, in 1607, 
Captain John Smith and his motley crew of Englishmen first stepped 
ashore to begin life in the New World. Commemorating the Jamestown 
anniversary allows Americans to not only remember the bravery of 
Captain Smith's crew and the founding of America but also to celebrate 
the democratic ideals and institutions that trace their roots to that 
remarkable beginning. The rule of law, the entrepreneurial spirit, 
representative government, and cultural diversity all originated at 
Jamestown and all continue to have profound effects on America today.
  To recognize the impact of Jamestown and to signal Congress's support 
for the 400th anniversary of its founding, I introduce today this 
resolution. It marks the importance of Jamestown to our Nation's 
history and recognizes its 400th anniversary as a seminal event for the 
American people. Furthermore, the resolution recognizes the critical 
role Native Americans played in the colony's survival, notes the 
democratic ideals first instilled at Jamestown, and reflects on the 
unique confluence of cultures that made Jamestown strong and 
successful. With this resolution, Congress has a chance to officially 
record for history its support for the commemoration of the 400th 
anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.
  Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this 
resolution.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. 172) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 172

       Whereas the founding of the colony at Jamestown, Virginia, 
     in 1607, the first permanent English colony in America, and 
     the capital of Virginia for 92 years, has major significance 
     in the history of the United States;
       Whereas the Jamestown Settlement owed its survival in large 
     measure to the compassion and aid of the Native people in its 
     vicinity;
       Whereas Native Virginia people substantially aided the 
     Jamestown colonists with food and supplies at times that were 
     crucial to their survival;
       Whereas the Native people served as guides to geography and 
     natural resources, crucial assistance in the Virginia 
     colonists' exploration of the Chesapeake Region;
       Whereas the Jamestown Settlement brought people from 
     throughout the Atlantic Basin together to form a society that 
     drew upon the strengths and characteristics of English, 
     European, African, and Native American cultures;
       Whereas the economic, political, religious, and social 
     institutions that developed during the first 9 decades of the 
     existence of Jamestown continue to have profound effects on 
     the United States, particularly in English common law and 
     language, cross cultural relationships, manufacturing, and 
     economic structure and status;
       Whereas the National Park Service, the Association for the 
     Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and the Jamestown-
     Yorktown Foundation of the Commonwealth of Virginia 
     collectively own and operate significant resources related to 
     the early history of Jamestown;
       Whereas, in 2000, Congress established the Jamestown 400th 
     Commemoration Commission to ensure a suitable national 
     observance of the Jamestown 2007 anniversary, and Congress 
     commends the Commission's hard work and dedication;
       Whereas Congress reminds all Americans of the importance of 
     their country's history and founding at Jamestown; and
       Whereas the 2007 observance of the founding of Jamestown 
     commemorates the 400th anniversary of the first permanent 
     English colony in America: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate commemorates the 400th 
     Anniversary of the founding of the colony Jamestown in 1607 
     and urges all Americans to honor this seminal event in our 
     Nation's history.

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