IV

House Calendar No. 208

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 443

[Report No. 106–582]

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with regard to the

centennial of the raising of the United States flag in American Samoa.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 16, 2000

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA (for himself, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. GEORGE MILLER

of California, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. JOHN, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. ORTIZ,

and Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO ́

) submitted the following resolution; which

was referred to the Committee on Resources

APRIL 13, 2000

Additional sponsors: Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. GIBBONS, Mr. KILDEE, Mr.

PICKETT, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. UNDERWOOD, and Mr. ABERCROMBIE

APRIL 13, 2000

Reported with an amendment, referred to the House Calendar, and ordered

to be printed

[Strike out the preamble and insert the part printed in italic]

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with

regard to the centennial of the raising of the United

States flag in American Samoa.

1 Whereas the people of American Samoa have inhabited

2 Tutuila and the Manu’a Islands for at least 4,000
2

•HRES 443 RH

1 years and developed a unique and autonomous sea2 faring and agrarian culture, governing themselves

3 through their own form of government;

4 Whereas in 1722, Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen be5 came the first European to sight—but not land on—

6 the shores of the Samoan Islands, islands which re7 mained isolated for another 46 years because

8 Roggeveen miscalculated their location;

9 Whereas in 1768, French explorer Louis Antoine de Bou10 gainville, the second European to sight the Samoan

11 islands, became so impressed with the sailing skills of

12 the natives he named the islands ‘‘L’Archipel des

13 Navigateurs,’’ and for generations thereafter the en14 tire Samoan island group was known to the Western

15 World as the ‘‘Navigator Islands’’;

16 Whereas in 1787, Frenchman Jean Francois La Perouse

17 landed on the shores of these islands and thus began

18 the ‘‘opening’’ of Samoa to the West, with American

19 whalers as the principal group to engage the people

20 of Samoa in trade and commerce, followed from 1830

21 on by English missionaries;

22 Whereas in 1839, as part of a congressionally authorized

23 trip to the Pacific, United States Navy commander

24 Charles Wilkes visited the island of Tutuila and later

25 reported favorably in support of establishing a struc-
3

•HRES 443 RH

1 tured relationship between the island and the United

2 States;

3 Whereas on March 2, 1872, Richard Meade, commander

4 of the U.S.S. Narragansett, visited Pago Pago, and,

5 on his own responsibility, made an agreement with

6 High Chief Mauga entitled ‘‘Commercial Regulations,

7 etc.,’’ which was submitted to, but never ratified by,

8 the Senate;

9 Whereas on February 13, 1878, a ‘‘treaty of friendship

10 and commerce with the people of Samoa’’ was pro11 claimed ratified;

12 Whereas on May 21, 1890, a treaty between the United

13 States, Germany, and Great Britain, and assented to

14 by the Samoan Government, ‘‘to provide for the secu15 rity of the life, property and trade of the citizens and

16 subjects of their respective Governments residing in,

17 or having commercial relations with the Islands of

18 Samoa,’’ was proclaimed ratified;

19 Whereas the treaties of 1878 and 1890 were annulled by

20 a treaty of December 2, 1899, between the United

21 States, Germany, and Great Britain;

22 Whereas on April 17, 1900, the traditional chiefs of the

23 South Pacific Islands of Tutuila and Aunu’u agreed

24 to become a part of the United States, and the United
4

•HRES 443 RH

1 States flag was raised on what is now known as the

2 United States Territory of American Samoa;

3 Whereas since that time, the residents of American Samoa

4 have been proud of their affiliation with this great Na5 tion and have demonstrated their loyalty and patriot6 ism in countless ways;

7 Whereas April 17 is known as Flag Day in American

8 Samoa and is the biggest holiday in the territory, and

9 is celebrated not only in American Samoa, but

10 throughout the United States wherever there is a siz11 able Samoan community;

12 Whereas American Samoans in Hawaii, California, Ne13 vada, Utah, Alaska, Washington, and other parts of

14 the United States pause each year on this important

15 date to celebrate this monumental occasion in Amer16 ican Samoa’s history;

17 Whereas the per capita rate of enlistment in the Armed

18 Forces is as high for American Samoa as for any

19 State or territory, with hundreds of American

20 Samoans enlisting annually;

21 Whereas for decades American Samoa served as a Naval

22 coaling station for United States ships in the Pacific,

23 providing the Nation with what is commonly referred

24 to as the best deep-water harbor in the entire Pa25 cific—a harbor where American ships are protected
5

•HRES 443 RH

1 from severe and sudden tropical storms by natural,

2 high, sloping mountains—a harbor which, in the Na3 tion’s youth, served as a critical and crucial refueling

4 and replenishing port for military and commercial in5 terests, enabling the United States to pursue its for6 eign and commercial policies, logistically unrestrained,

7 throughout the Asian Pacific region;

8 Whereas during World War II, American Samoa was the

9 staging point for 30,000 United States Marines in10 volved in the Pacific theater, with American Samoans

11 serving both as hosts and as fellow soldiers to these

12 Marines via the revered Fita Fita Guard;

13 Whereas American Samoa was the first land astronauts

14 from numerous Apollo missions came to upon return15 ing to Earth—including astronauts from Apollo 10,

16 Apollo 12, Apollo 13, Apollo 14, and Apollo 17;

17 Whereas American Samoa produces more National Foot18 ball League players per capita than any other State

19 or territory of the United States, with approximately

20 18 Samoans currently playing professionally;

21 Whereas April 17, 2000, will mark the 100th anniversary

22 of American Samoa joining in political, military, and

23 economic union with the United States;
6

•HRES 443 RH

1 Whereas local government leaders in American Samoa

2 have been preparing for this centennial celebration for

3 the last three years; and

4 Whereas although 100 years have elapsed since the forma5 tion of this mutually beneficial relationship, American

6 Samoans today—as did their forebears in 1900—re7 main deeply thankful and appreciative of the benefits

8 they have received and continue to receive as a result

9 of the unique relationship American Samoa shares

10 with this great Republic, and they are proud that in

11 return for the benefits received under this relation12 ship, they actively contribute economically, militarily,

13 and culturally to the health and well-being of this

14 great Nation: Now, therefore, be it

15 Whereas the people of American Samoa have inhabited

16 Tutuila and the Manu’a Islands for at least 3,000 years

17 and developed a unique and autonomous seafaring and

18 agrarian culture, governing themselves through their

19 own form of government;

20 Whereas in 1722, Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen became

21 the first European to sight—but not land on—the

22 shores of the Samoan Islands, islands which remained

23 isolated for another 46 years because Roggeveen miscal24 culated their location;
7

•HRES 443 RH

1 Whereas in 1768, French explorer Louis Antoine de Bou2 gainville, the second European to sight the Samoan is3 lands, became so impressed with the sailing skills of

4 the natives he named the islands ‘‘L’Archipel des

5 Navigateurs,’’ and for generations thereafter the entire

6 Samoan island group was known to the Western World

7 as the ‘‘Navigator Islands’’;

8 Whereas in 1787, Frenchman Jean Francois La Perouse

9 landed on the shores of these islands and thus began

10 the ‘‘opening’’ of Samoa to the West, with American

11 whalers as the principal group to engage the people of

12 Samoa in trade and commerce, followed from 1830 on

13 by English missionaries;

14 Whereas in 1839, as part of a congressionally authorized

15 trip to the Pacific, United States Navy commander

16 Charles Wilkes visited the island of Tutuila and later

17 reported favorably in support of establishing a struc18 tured relationship between the island and the United

19 States;

20 Whereas on March 2, 1872, Richard Meade, commander of

21 the U.S.S. Narragansett, visited Pago Pago, and, on

22 his own responsibility, made an agreement with High

23 Chief Mauga entitled ‘‘Commercial Regulations, etc.,’’

24 which was submitted to, but never ratified by, the Sen25 ate;
8

•HRES 443 RH

1 Whereas on February 13, 1878, a ‘‘treaty of friendship and

2 commerce with the people of Samoa’’ was proclaimed

3 ratified;

4 Whereas on June 14, 1889, a treaty known as the General

5 Act of 1889, between the United States, Germany, and

6 Great Britain, and assented to by the Samoan Govern7 ment, ‘‘to provide for the security of the life, property

8 and trade of the citizens and subjects of their respective

9 Governments residing in, or having commercial rela10 tions with the Islands of Samoa,’’ was concluded and

11 later ratified;

12 Whereas on December 2, 1899, a tripartite treaty between

13 the United States, Germany, and Great Britain, which

14 provided for the division of the several islands of

15 Samoa, was signed by the three parties in Washington,

16 D.C.;

17 Whereas on April 17, 1900, by treaty of cession, the tradi18 tional chiefs of the South Pacific Islands of Tutuila and

19 Aunu’u agreed to become a part of the United States

20 in return for protection of their land and culture, and

21 the United States flag was raised on what is now

22 known as the United States Territory of American

23 Samoa;

24 Whereas on July 14, 1904, by treaty of cession, His Majesty

25 the King of Manu’a and his traditional chiefs from the
9

•HRES 443 RH

1 Islands of Ta’u, Ofu, and Olosega, agreed to become

2 part of the United States in return for the protection

3 of their land and culture;

4 Whereas since that time, the residents of American Samoa

5 have been proud of their affiliation with this great Na6 tion and have demonstrated their loyalty and patriot7 ism in countless ways;

8 Whereas April 17 is known as Flag Day in American

9 Samoa and is the biggest holiday in the territory, and

10 is celebrated not only in American Samoa, but through11 out the United States wherever there is a sizable Sa12 moan community;

13 Whereas American Samoans in Hawaii, California, Ne14 vada, Utah, Alaska, Washington, and other parts of the

15 United States pause each year on this important date

16 to celebrate this monumental occasion in American Sa17 moa’s history;

18 Whereas the per capita rate of enlistment in the Armed

19 Forces among American Samoans is among the highest

20 in the United States, with hundreds of American

21 Samoans enlisting annually;

22 Whereas for decades American Samoa served as a Naval

23 coaling station for United States ships in the Pacific,

24 providing the Nation with what is commonly referred

25 to as the best deep-water harbor in the entire Pacific—
10

•HRES 443 RH

1 a harbor where American ships are protected from se2 vere and sudden tropical storms by natural, high, slop3 ing mountains—a harbor which, in the Nation’s youth,

4 served as a critical and crucial refueling and replen5 ishing port for military and commercial interests, ena6 bling the United States to pursue its foreign and com7 mercial policies, logistically unrestrained, throughout

8 the Asian Pacific region;

9 Whereas during World War II, American Samoa was the

10 staging point for 30,000 United States Marines in11 volved in the Pacific theater, with American Samoans

12 serving both as hosts and as fellow soldiers to these Ma13 rines via the revered Fita Fita Guard;

14 Whereas American Samoa was the first land astronauts

15 from numerous Apollo missions came to upon returning

16 to Earth—including astronauts from Apollo 10, Apollo

17 12, Apollo 13, Apollo 14, and Apollo 17;

18 Whereas American Samoa produces more National Football

19 League players per capita than any other State or ter20 ritory of the United States, with approximately 15

21 Samoans currently playing professionally;

22 Whereas April 17, 2000, will mark the 100th anniversary

23 of American Samoa joining in political, military, and

24 economic union with the United States;
11

•HRES 443 RH

1 Whereas local government leaders in American Samoa have

2 been preparing for this centennial celebration for the

3 last three years; and

4 Whereas although 100 years have elapsed since the forma5 tion of this mutually beneficial relationship, American

6 Samoans today—as did their forebears in 1900—re7 main deeply thankful and appreciative of the benefits

8 they have received and continue to receive as a result

9 of the unique relationship American Samoa shares with

10 this great Republic, and they are proud that in return

11 for the benefits received under this relationship, they

12 actively contribute economically, militarily, and cul13 turally to the health and well-being of this great Na14 tion: Now, therefore, be it

15 Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

16 (1) recognizes the historical significance of the

17 centennial of the raising of the American flag over

18 the United States Territory of American Samoa;

19 (2) acknowledges 100 years of American Sa20 moa’s loyalty and service to the United States; and

21 (3) reaffirms its commitment to the United

22 States citizens and nationals of American Samoa for

23 improved self-governance, economic development,

24 and the expansion of domestic commerce, consistent

25 with the desires of the people of American Samoa.
House Calendar No. 208

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 443

[Report No. 106–582]

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with regard to the centennial of the raising

of the United States flag in American Samoa.

APRIL 13, 2000

Reported with an amendment, referred to the House

Calendar, and ordered to be printed