PRINTER'S NO. 2862
No. 509 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY DeWEESE, ADOLPH, ARGALL, BAKER, BEAR, BELFANTI,
BEYER, BISHOP, BOBACK, BOYD, BRENNAN, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI,
CASORIO, CAUSER, CLYMER, COHEN, CONKLIN, COSTA, CRUZ, DALEY,
DeLUCA, DENLINGER, DERMODY, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, EACHUS,
ELLIS, D. EVANS, J. EVANS, EVERETT, FABRIZIO, FAIRCHILD,
FLECK, FRANKEL, GABIG, GALLOWAY, GEIST, GEORGE, GERGELY,
GINGRICH, GODSHALL, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HALUSKA, HARHAI,
HARHART, HARKINS, HARPER, HELM, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HESS,
HICKERNELL, HORNAMAN, HUTCHINSON, JAMES, KENNEY, KILLION,
KULA, LENTZ, LEVDANSKY, MAHONEY, MAJOR, MANDERINO, MANN,
MANTZ, MARSICO, McCALL, McGEEHAN, McILHATTAN,
McILVAINE SMITH, MENSCH, MICOZZIE, MILLARD, R. MILLER, MOYER,
MUNDY, MURT, MUSTIO, MYERS, NAILOR, D. O'BRIEN, M. O'BRIEN,
O'NEILL, PALLONE, PARKER, PEIFER, PETRONE, PHILLIPS, PICKETT,
QUINN, RAMALEY, RAPP, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROAE, ROEBUCK,
ROHRER, ROSS, RUBLEY, SAINATO, SAMUELSON, SANTONI, SAYLOR,
SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SEIP, SHIMKUS, SIPTROTH, K. SMITH,
SOLOBAY, SONNEY, STEIL, STERN, R. STEVENSON, STURLA, SURRA,
SWANGER, R. TAYLOR, THOMAS, VEREB, VULAKOVICH, WATSON,
J. WHITE, WOJNAROSKI AND YOUNGBLOOD, NOVEMBER 19, 2007
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
NOVEMBER 19, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Observing the month of December 2007 as the 325th anniversary of
2 the General Assembly.
3 WHEREAS, William Penn received a royal charter for the
4 Province of "Pensilvania" from King Charles II of England on
5 March 4, 1681; and
6 WHEREAS, William Penn's "holy experiment" would "open its
7 doors to every kindred, tongue and nation"; and
8 WHEREAS, William Penn's vision of government embraced the
1 principle of "inclusion" rather than "exclusion"; and
2 WHEREAS, William Penn spent more than one year formulating
3 and drafting the constitution, or First Frame of Government,
4 which was adopted on April 25, 1682; and
5 WHEREAS, The First Frame of Government provided for the
6 creation of a Provincial Council and General Assembly to share
7 governance with the proprietor; and
8 WHEREAS, Soon after his arrival in the Province on October
9 29, 1682, William Penn called for an assembly to meet on
10 December 4, 1682, in what is now known as Chester; and
11 WHEREAS, During that first session, the First Frame of
12 Government was presented to the General Assembly for review,
13 along with a series of laws agreed upon by England; and
14 WHEREAS, At this meeting of the General Assembly, and Act of
15 Union was passed that annexed the three lower counties, now
16 known as the State of Delaware; and
17 WHEREAS, The General Assembly passed the Great Law, and
18 effectively set in motion the enduring principle of
19 representative government for the citizens of Pennsylvania; and
20 WHEREAS, That principle has flourished under the
21 Commonwealth's subsequent frames, charters and constitutions;
22 therefore be it
23 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives observe the month
24 of December 2007 as the 325th anniversary of the General
25 Assembly and encourage all citizens throughout this Commonwealth
26 to celebrate this legacy and to continue active participation in
27 William Penn's "holy experiment."
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