[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19523]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 351--RECOGNIZING THE BICENTENNIAL OF THE STATE OF 
                    MISSISSIPPI ON DECEMBER 10, 2017

  Mr. WICKER (for himself and Mr. Cochran) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 351

       Whereas December 10, 2017, marks a historic bicentennial, 
     denoting 200 years since the State of Mississippi was 
     admitted to the Union;
       Whereas this momentous occasion marks a time for 
     Mississippians and all people of the United States to 
     remember the past and celebrate the future, including the 
     significant contributions of the State of Mississippi to the 
     culture, governance, and intellect of the United States;
       Whereas on March 1, 1817, President James Monroe signed 
     into law ``An Act to enable the people of the western part of 
     the Mississippi territory to form a constitution and state 
     government, and for the admission of such state into the 
     union, on an equal footing with the original states'' (3 
     Stat. 348, chapter 23), setting the boundaries for the State 
     of Mississippi;
       Whereas on December 10, 1817, the United States approved 
     the Mississippi Constitution and admitted the State of 
     Mississippi as the 20th State of the Union;
       Whereas the history of Mississippi is most deeply rooted in 
     the people and land of Mississippi, which has produced a 
     unique and rich culture distinct from any other State;
       Whereas in the 200 years since the birth of Mississippi as 
     a sovereign State, the citizens of Mississippi have made many 
     significant achievements in agriculture, art, cuisine, 
     industry, literature, music, science, and many other 
     important areas;
       Whereas Mississippians have shown their patriotism to the 
     United States through their dedicated service to the 
     protection of the United States through every major conflict;
       Whereas the land of Mississippi has produced crops, timber, 
     and protein for the United States and the world while 
     surviving the devastation of hurricanes and other natural 
     disasters over the course of the history of Mississippi; and
       Whereas the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration Commission 
     is dedicated to celebrating all aspects of the past 200 years 
     of history of Mississippi as a State and has planned numerous 
     major events in coordination with communities, which will 
     culminate on December 9, 2017, with the grand opening of--
       (1) the Museum of Mississippi History; and
       (2) the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the momentous occasion of the bicentennial 
     of the State of Mississippi on December 10, 2017;
       (2) encourages all Mississippians to observe the day with 
     appropriate ceremonies and activities; and
       (3) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate 
     transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to--
       (A) the Governor of Mississippi;
       (B) the National Archives; and
       (C) the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

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