Senate Resolution No. 52

Introduced by Senator Morrell

June 26, 2014

Senate Resolution No. 52—Relative to the 4th of July.

WHEREAS, July 4, 2014, marks the 238th anniversary of the
signing of the Declaration of Independence, and by the adoption
of that document -- formally entitled, “The unanimous Declaration
of the thirteen United States of America” -- the nation we today
know as the United States of America officially came into being,
an occasion forever memorialized by President Abraham Lincoln
in the words of his Gettysburg Address as when “... our fathers
brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty,
and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal”;
and

WHEREAS, On June 7, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
at a location today known as Independence Hall, Virginia delegate
Richard Henry Lee brought the following resolution before the
Second Continental Congress of the United Colonies: “Resolved,
That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and
independent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to
the British Crown, and that all political connection between them
and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved”;
and

WHEREAS, On June 8, 1776, Lee’s resolution was referred to
a committee of the whole of the Continental Congress, at which
time they spent most of that day, as well as June 10, debating
independence; and

WHEREAS, On June 11, 1776, a “Committee of Five” -- with
Thomas Jefferson of Virginia being picked unanimously as its first
member, and also including John Adams of Massachusetts,
Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New
York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut -- was charged with
drafting a declaration of independence for consideration by the
Continental Congress; and

WHEREAS, The members of the “Committee of Five” assigned
Jefferson the task of producing a draft declaration, and on June
28, 1776, he produced a draft that, with minor changes by the
committee members, was forwarded to the Congress for its further
consideration; and

WHEREAS, On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress
adopted the Lee resolution upon the affirmative vote of 12 of the
13 colonial delegations, an occasion that delegate and future
President John Adams detailed to his wife Abigail in a letter written
July 3, 1776, as follows: “Yesterday the greatest Question was
decided, which ever was debated in America, and a greater perhaps,
never was or will be decided among Men”; and

WHEREAS, On July 4, 1776, after further debate and changes
to the committee document, the Continental Congress adopted the
Declaration of Independence establishing the United States of
America, to which John Hancock that day affixed his signature,
with 55 other delegates representing the 13 colonies -- now states
of the newly created nation -- signing the declaration within the
next several weeks; and

WHEREAS, The 4th of July is a day unlike any other -- in the
history of the United States of America, and indeed, the world --
in that not only is it the day that an infant nation formally defied
the most powerful empire on earth in a quest for freedom, liberty,
and independence, but even more importantly because on that day
this new nation declared as a “self-evident truth” -- known and
knowable to all persons at all times in all places throughout the
world -- the radical notion that “all men are created equal ...
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that
among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”; and

WHEREAS, Since its adoption and bold pronouncement more
than two centuries ago, the Declaration of Independence and the
principles that animate that timeless document have inspired
literally billions of persons around the world to pursue freedom in
their own nations, for themselves and their own loved ones, and
for their fellow men and women, and remain today an imperfectly
unrealized goal to which all Americans and all who cherish liberty
must rededicate themselves, just as the drafters and signers of the
Declaration of Independence did by declaring: “with a firm reliance
on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge[d] to
each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor”; and

WHEREAS, The United States and California have a long and
generous tradition of welcoming people from all nations to our
shores. This tradition continues today as we invite all who yearn
to be free, with a respect for the rule of law, to join us and in the
spirit of good will mutually pledge ourselves to the principles laid
out in the Declaration of Independence; and

WHEREAS, Preserving civil liberty is one of the most important
blessings and a most valuable inheritance this side of heaven.
Therefore, a basic knowledge of America’s political principles
contained in our United States Constitution and Declaration is
necessary for the promotion of prosperity, virtue, and public
happiness. In the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, this system of good
laws and statutes that limit government’s powers and ranks the
citizen above the state for our mutual benefit, is the foundation
and the cord that link the hearts of patriotic and liberty-loving
people together; and

WHEREAS, On this and every 4th of July, it is both proper and
fitting that the institutions of California government, and indeed
all Californians, express heartfelt gratitude and indebtedness to
those men and women who have served in the Armed Forces of
the United States, and in particular to those who have suffered the
injuries of battle and who have made the ultimate sacrifice in
protecting freedom and liberty around the world, recalling the
words of President Abraham Lincoln that, as a result of their
profound sacrifice, “... this nation, under God, shall have a new
birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the
people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”; now,
therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate
of the State of California does -- and intends to every year
immediately preceding the 4th of July -- take this opportunity to
recognize and celebrate July 4, 2014, and the 238th anniversary
of the birth of our great nation and the signing of the Declaration
of Independence that this day represents; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate of the State of California calls upon
all the people of the great State of California, and the United States
of America, to take the opportunity of the 4th of July holiday to
obtain a greater knowledge and understanding of the facts and
circumstances that compelled the 13 original colonies to declare
their independence, and of the timeless principles of liberty,
equality, and self-determination that rest at the heart of the
Declaration of Independence; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate of the State of California, on behalf
of a grateful citizenry, hereby expresses its heartfelt thanks,
appreciation, and prayers to all who have served -- and who
currently serve -- in the Armed Forces of the United States, in
recognition of the countless sacrifices made and the indispensable
role these brave men and women have played, even before the
founding of our nation on July 4, 1776, in preserving, protecting,
and defending the freedoms and liberties of all Americans, and
expanding freedom throughout the world; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
this resolution to the Governor of the State of California, and to
the author for appropriate distribution.