THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY STURLA, BOYD, KNOWLES, AUMENT, BEAR, CREIGHTON, CUTLER, DENLINGER, BAKER, BISHOP, BRADFORD, CALTAGIRONE, CLYMER, CONKLIN, DALEY, DeLUCA, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, J. EVANS, EVERETT, FABRIZIO, FLECK, FREEMAN, GEIST, GEORGE, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GRELL, GROVE, HENNESSEY, HESS, HICKERNELL, HUTCHINSON, JOHNSON, KAVULICH, KIRKLAND, KORTZ, KULA, MAJOR, MALONEY, MANN, MICOZZIE, MILLARD, MIRABITO, MOUL, MUSTIO, O'NEILL, PARKER, PASHINSKI, PAYNE, PAYTON, RAVENSTAHL, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROSS, SANTARSIERO, SANTONI, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, SONNEY, STABACK, STERN, STEVENSON, SWANGER, THOMAS, VEREB, VULAKOVICH AND WHEATLEY, MARCH 3, 2011

INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, MARCH 3, 2011  

A RESOLUTION

Designating April 4, 2011, as "Thaddeus Stevens Day" in

Pennsylvania.

WHEREAS, Thaddeus Stevens, a prominent figure in the 19th

century history of Pennsylvania and the United States, was born

in Vermont on April 4, 1792; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Stevens lived most of his life in Pennsylvania,

teaching, practicing law and serving in the General Assembly

from 1833 to 1841 and representing Pennsylvanians in Congress

from 1849 to 1853 and again from 1858 until his death in 1868;

and

WHEREAS, Mr. Stevens notably fought for the preservation of

public education in this Commonwealth, for the emancipation of

slaves, for passage of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of

the United States and for Reconstruction of the South after the

Civil War; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Stevens directed that, upon his death, he be

buried in an integrated cemetery in the City of Lancaster with

this self-composed epitaph on his grave marker: "I have chosen

this that I might illustrate in my death the principles which I

advocated through a long life, Equality of Man before his

Creator"; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Stevens left a generous bequest upon his death

on August 11, 1868, to establish a school for the relief and

refuge of homeless, indigent orphans; and

WHEREAS, This bequest evolved to form the Thaddeus Stevens

College of Technology, founded to provide solid industrial

education to all citizens of this Commonwealth regardless of

race or color and is a living monument to the life of Thaddeus

Stevens; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commemorate the

anniversary of the birth of this remarkable man by designating

April 4, 2011, as "Thaddeus Stevens Day" in Pennsylvania.