[ Search ] [ Legislation ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
91_HR0098
LRB9105879CBcb
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Because of the famine that devastated Ireland in
3 the mid-19th Century, more than 1.8 million people fled to
4 the United States in cramped, disease infested ships; and
5 WHEREAS, The exodus in these "coffin ships" is being
6 commemorated by a new United States Postal Service stamp, the
7 first to honor the country's Irish heritage on this, the
8 150th anniversary of the "Irish Potato Famine"; and
9 WHEREAS, Over a five-year period, more than 3.5 million
10 Irish men, women, and children either died of starvation or,
11 because of massive evictions and facing certain death, were
12 forced to emigrate to survive; people bound for America
13 boarded the makeshift "coffin ships" as steerage passengers
14 and traveled a month or more under fetid conditions; and
15 WHEREAS, After arriving in America, the Irish accepted
16 menial jobs at very little pay; most of the women worked as
17 domestics until they could get better paying jobs in sweat
18 shops and textile mills; and
19 WHEREAS, The Irish helped to build railroads, canals,
20 cities, and schools throughout our nation; and
21 WHEREAS, The Irish immigrants sent whatever savings they
22 could afford from their meager incomes back to Ireland to
23 help their families; many civic and church groups and
24 individuals generously contributed to provide aid relief for
25 Ireland; the United States Congress provided two former
26 military vessels to collect the clothing, food, and money in
27 the ports of New York and Boston to transport the goods to
28 Ireland; and
29 WHEREAS, Today's 44.5 million Americans who claim Irish
30 lineage can indeed be proud of their ancestors and the many
31 contributions they have made over the past century and a half
-2- LRB9105879CBcb
1 to all aspects of American life; therefore, be it
2 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4 we wish to express our appreciation to the United States
5 Postal Service for issuing the Irish Immigration Stamp and
6 for honoring this nation's Irish heritage; and be it further
7 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8 forwarded to the Postmaster General of the United States,
9 William J. Henderson.