[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 11654-11655]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF JAMESTOWN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ERIC CANTOR

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 8, 2007

  Mr. CANTOR. Madam Speaker, the 105 settlers who landed at Jamestown 
in the spring of 1607 had little idea of the hardships they would soon 
face in the New World--life in the wilderness was racked by disease and 
famine. Nor was this band particularly equipped for life under such 
unforgiving conditions. Captain John Smith dubbed half of them 
``gentlemen.''

[[Page 11655]]

  But with just the right blend of faith, ingenuity and luck, the 
settlers of Jamestown survived, planting the seeds for the American 
Democratic experiment. Indeed, the inspiration for the current U.S. 
Congress comes from July 1619, when the New World's first 
representative body convened in the Jamestown church. There, they 
established ``one equal and uniform government'' over all Virginia. It 
brings me great honor today to recognize the sacrifices of these first 
brave Virginian settlers.

                          ____________________