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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
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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.