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91_HJ0040enr HJ0040 Enrolled LRB9111910JMmb 1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 40 2 WHEREAS, On February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born 3 in the most modest of circumstances in a log cabin near 4 Hodgenville, Kentucky; at the age of 21, he set out for a new 5 home located on the north bank of the Sangamon River, in New 6 Salem, Illinois, where he served as Deputy Surveyor and 7 Postmaster; his kindness, straightforward conduct, and 8 sympathetic character helped create in the popular mind the 9 stereotype of "Honest Abe"; and 10 WHEREAS, On August 4, 1834, Abraham Lincoln, at age 24, 11 was elected to the Illinois General Assembly as a State 12 Representative from the Whig party; he was reelected 3 more 13 times, serving until 1842; through his bold leadership and 14 forward thinking, he was elevated by his peers to the elected 15 position of Whig floor leader and served as chairman of the 16 Finance Committee; he was a consistent supporter of 17 conservative business interests and brought about the 18 relocation of the State capital from Vandalia to Springfield; 19 when certain resolutions denouncing anti-slavery agitation 20 were passed by the House, he took a bold position through a 21 written declaration stating that slavery was "founded on both 22 injustice and bad policy, but that the promulgation of 23 abolition doctrines tends rather to increase than abate its 24 evils"; and 25 WHEREAS, Mr. Lincoln served in the United States House of 26 Representatives as an Illinois Whig from 1847 through 1849, 27 serving on the Post Office and Post Roads Committee, as well 28 as the War Department Expenditures Committee; he opposed 29 United States involvement in the Mexican War but continued to 30 support appropriations to supply the troops involved in the 31 war; he continued to promote federally funded internal 32 improvements and worked unsuccessfully to abolish the slave 33 trade in Washington, D.C.; and HJ0040 Enrolled -2- LRB9111910JMmb 1 WHEREAS, On May 29, 1856, Mr. Lincoln helped organize the 2 new Republican Party of Illinois, speaking with a new 3 authority gained from self-imposed intellectual discipline in 4 behalf of the anti-slavery cause; and 5 WHEREAS, On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected 6 the 16th President of the United States and the first 7 Republican; he received 180 of 303 possible electoral votes 8 and 40% of the popular vote, defeating Northern Democrat 9 Stephen A. Douglas and Southern Democrat John C. 10 Breckinridge; convinced that the United States was more than 11 an ordinary nation, that it was a proving ground for the idea 12 of democratic government, he displayed an unflinching 13 dedication to the preservation of the Union; he never wavered 14 in his "paramount object" to restore national unity despite 15 war-weariness and repeated defeats; he did what was 16 necessary, without regard to political objections in Congress 17 or personal popularity; and 18 WHEREAS, On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln issued the 19 Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever slaves free 20 within the Confederacy; with the possibility that his action 21 would not be sustained by the Supreme Court, he strongly 22 urged and succeeded in getting Congress to adopt the 13th 23 Amendment, forever abolishing slavery throughout the country; 24 realizing that minimal guarantees of civil rights for blacks 25 were essential, he began to advocate for equality by the end 26 of the war; and 27 WHEREAS, Partly because of his single-minded dedication, 28 the American people, in time, gave to Abraham Lincoln a 29 loyalty that proved to be another of his great assets; he 30 learned what ordinary citizens felt about their government by 31 making himself accessible to all who went to the White House; 32 his mastery of rhetoric further endeared him to the public; 33 he wrote clearly and succinctly in an age of pretentious HJ0040 Enrolled -3- LRB9111910JMmb 1 orators; his 268-word address meant more than the preceding 2 2-hour oration by Edward Everett at the dedication of the 3 national cemetery at Gettysburg; the clear focus and 4 eloquent, sophisticated style of the Gettysburg address has 5 helped it survive for more than a hundred years as one of the 6 greatest speeches ever delivered; and 7 WHEREAS, Lincoln was inaugurated into his second term as 8 President on March 4, 1865, overwhelmingly defeating Union 9 General George B. McClellan; he enunciated a comprehensive 10 reconstruction program, pledging pardon and amnesty to 11 Confederates who were prepared to swear loyalty to the Union 12 and promising to turn back control of local governments to 13 the civil authorities in the South; on April 14, 1865, one 14 month after taking office, he was shot and killed while 15 attending a performance at Ford's Theater in Washington; and 16 WHEREAS, Illinois is where Mr. Lincoln lived, worked, and 17 spent many happy days in the municipalities of New Salem, and 18 Springfield; throughout his days in public service he 19 embodied personal integrity, intelligence, and humanity; it 20 is only fitting and proper that this great President who 21 played such a vital role as the leader in preserving the 22 Union and abolished slavery in the United States should be 23 duly honored and commemorated by the gracious people of this 24 State to whom Abraham Lincoln brought so much character, 25 determination, and perseverance in the Illinois General 26 Assembly, United States Congress, and as the President of the 27 United States; and 28 WHEREAS, On February 6, 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan was 29 born to Nelle and John Reagan in Tampico, Illinois; he 30 attended high school in nearby Dixon and then worked his way 31 through Eureka College; at Eureka College, he studied 32 economics and sociology, played on the football team, and 33 acted in school plays; upon graduation, he became a radio HJ0040 Enrolled -4- LRB9111910JMmb 1 sports announcer; a screen test in 1937 won him a contract in 2 Hollywood and during the next 2 decades he appeared in 53 3 films; and 4 WHEREAS, As president of the Screen Actors Guild, Ronald 5 Reagan became embroiled in disputes over the issue of 6 Communism in the film industry; his political views shifted 7 from liberal to conservative; he toured the country as a 8 television host, becoming a spokesman for conservatism; in 9 1966 he was elected Governor of California by a margin of a 10 million votes; he was re-elected in 1970; and 11 WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan won the Republican presidential 12 nomination in 1980 and chose as his running mate former Texas 13 Congressman and United Nations Ambassador George Bush; voters 14 troubled by inflation and by the year-long confinement of 15 Americans in Iran swept the Republican ticket into office; 16 and 17 WHEREAS, On January 20, 1981, Mr. Reagan took office; 18 only 69 days later he was shot by a would-be assassin but 19 quickly recovered and returned to duty; his grace and wit 20 during the dangerous incident caused his popularity to soar; 21 and 22 WHEREAS, Dealing skillfully with Congress, Reagan 23 obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth, curb 24 inflation, increase employment, and strengthen national 25 defense; he embarked upon a course of cutting taxes and 26 government expenditures, refusing to deviate from his course 27 when the strengthening of defense forces led to a large 28 deficit; and 29 WHEREAS, A renewal of national self-confidence by 1984 30 helped President Reagan and Vice President Bush win a second 31 term with an unprecedented number of electoral votes; and HJ0040 Enrolled -5- LRB9111910JMmb 1 WHEREAS, In 1986, Ronald Reagan obtained an overhaul of 2 the Income Tax Code that eliminated many deductions and 3 exempted millions of people with low incomes; at the end of 4 his administration, the nation was enjoying its longest 5 recorded period of peacetime prosperity without recession or 6 depression; and 7 WHEREAS, In foreign policy, Ronald Reagan sought to 8 achieve "peace through strength"; in dramatic meetings with 9 Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, he negotiated a treaty that 10 would eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles; 11 President Reagan declared war against international 12 terrorism, sending American bombers against Libya after 13 evidence came out that Libya was involved in an attack on 14 American soldiers in a West Berlin nightclub; and 15 WHEREAS, By ordering naval escorts in the Persian Gulf, 16 he maintained the free flow of oil during the Iran-Iraq war; 17 in keeping with the Reagan Doctrine, he gave support to 18 anti-Communist insurgencies in Central America, Asia, and 19 Africa; and 20 WHEREAS, At the end of his 2 terms in office, Ronald 21 Reagan viewed with satisfaction the achievements of his 22 innovative program known as the Reagan Revolution, which 23 aimed to reinvigorate the American people and reduce their 24 reliance upon government; he felt he had fulfilled his 25 campaign pledge of 1980 to restore "the great, confident roar 26 of American progress and growth and optimism"; and 27 WHEREAS, The Reagan years saw a restoration of 28 prosperity, and the goal of peace through strength was within 29 the nation's grasp; and 30 WHEREAS, Ulysses Simpson (U.S. "Unconditional Surrender") 31 Grant was the best-known Federal general in the United States 32 Civil War; because of his military prowess and daring, he HJ0040 Enrolled -6- LRB9111910JMmb 1 helped to shorten the time of that great and bitter conflict; 2 and 3 WHEREAS, U.S. Grant's exploits in the Civil War earned 4 him the Republican nomination and ultimately 2 terms as the 5 18th President of the United States; as President, he pushed 6 for conciliation toward the South, sought unconditional 7 readmission of Virginia to the Union, relentlessly opposed 8 the Ku Klux Klan in his ever stalwart detestation of slavery 9 and its aftermath, and established a strong record in foreign 10 affairs; and 11 WHEREAS, Although dying of throat cancer, he wrote his 12 now classic memoirs in an effort to support his family and to 13 guarantee that they would be provided for upon his death; and 14 WHEREAS, U.S. Grant died on July 23, 1885, and his body 15 was finally laid to rest amidst much pomp, circumstance, 16 parades, and speeches; and 17 WHEREAS, Illinois is where U.S. Grant lived, worked, and 18 spent many happy days in the municipality of Galena; and it 19 is only fitting and proper that this great General and 20 President who played such a critical role in saving the 21 Republic should be duly honored and commemorated by the 22 gracious people of this State to whom Grant brought so much 23 glory; therefore be it 24 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 25 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE 26 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the great contributions of 27 Illinois' Presidents, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, and 28 Ulysses Simpson Grant, and Governor Adlai Stevenson and 29 Mayors Richard J. Daley and Harold Washington, to the State 30 of Illinois and to the entire nation, should be commemorated 31 by the State Treasurer in accordance with the Commemorative 32 Medallions Act.