[ Search ] [ Legislation ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
91_HR0610 LRB9113382CBcb 1 HOUSE RESOLUTION 2 WHEREAS, This nation's government has served as a model 3 from which its power is derived from the people it governs 4 and serves; and 5 WHEREAS, The people who govern themselves and this nation 6 do so from the ground up, with local governments serving as 7 the cornerstone of service to the citizens; and 8 WHEREAS, The township is the oldest form of government in 9 existence on the North American continent, a form of 10 government that was brought to the New World by Pilgrims when 11 they landed on the eastern seaboard in 1636; and 12 WHEREAS, In Illinois, the first township governments were 13 established in 1850, a century and a half ago, as the Prairie 14 State continued its emergence as one of the most progressive 15 states in the Union; and 16 WHEREAS, Put into historical perspective, township 17 government has served and thrived through countless changes 18 in federal and state administrations, sweeping social and 19 economic changes and a century and a half of progress, 20 primarily because of its grassroots model of service to the 21 people; and 22 WHEREAS, Put further into historical perspective, in 1850 23 Zachary Taylor was serving as this great nation's twelfth 24 president; the Underground Railroad was founded by 25 emancipationist Harriet Tubman and began providing safe 26 passage from slavery to freedom for hundreds of American 27 slaves; and Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in the 28 United States to practice medicine with a degree earned from 29 an American medical school, began her first year in practice 30 as a medical doctor; and 31 WHEREAS, Zachary Taylor has long been forgotten by all -2- LRB9113382CBcb 1 but the most fervent historians, slavery has been effectively 2 abolished for 135 years, machines are being replaced by 3 high-tech computers, and women in medical school are nearly 4 as prominent as men, but township government continues to 5 serve and thrive; and 6 WHEREAS, In April, 2000, township government in Illinois 7 celebrates its sesquicentennial anniversary as the government 8 of "the people next door", a local government that continues 9 to serve its constituents with efficiency and dedication; 10 therefore, be it 11 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 12 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 13 we congratulate our local township officials as they 14 celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first township 15 governments in Illinois; and be it further 16 RESOLVED, That we extend to our local township officials 17 our best wishes for continued success in the service of the 18 people who depend on townships for essential government 19 services; and be it further 20 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 21 delivered to the Township Officials of Illinois to serve as a 22 tribute to the sesquicentennial celebration of township 23 government in Illinois.