106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 400

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Congratulating the Republic of Hungary on the

millennium of its foundation as a state.

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 400

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Whereas the ancestors of the Hungarian nation, 7 tribes excelling in horsemanship and handicrafts, settled in the

Carpathian basin around the end of the 9th century;

Whereas during the next century this tribal association had

accommodated itself to a permanently settled status;

Whereas the ruler of the nation at the end of the first millennium, Prince Stephen, realized with great foresight that
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the survival of his nation depends on its adapting itself

to its surroundings by becoming a Christian kingdom and

linking its future to Western civilization;

Whereas in 1000 A.D. Stephen, later canonized as Saint Stephen, adopted the Christian faith and was crowned with

a crown which he requested from Pope Sylvester II of

Rome;

Whereas, by those acts, Saint Stephen, King of Hungary, established his domain as 1 of the 7 Christian kingdoms of

Europe of the time and anchored his nation in Western

civilization forever;

Whereas during the past 1,000 years, in spite of residing on

the traditional crossroads of invaders from the East and

the West, the Hungarian nation showed great vitality in

preserving its unique identity, language, culture, and traditions;

Whereas in his written legacy, Saint Stephen called for tolerance and hospitality toward settlers migrating to the land

from other cultures;

Whereas through the ensuing centuries other tribes and ethnic and religious groups moved to Hungary and gained

acceptance into the nation, enriching its heritage;

Whereas since the 16th century a vibrant Protestant community has contributed to the vitality and diversity of the

Hungarian nation;

Whereas, particularly after their emancipation in the second

half of the 19th century, Hungarians of the Jewish faith

have made an enormous contribution to the economic,

cultural, artistic, and scientific life of the Hungarian nation, contributing more than half of the nation’s Nobel

Prize winners;
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Whereas the United States has benefitted immensely from

the hard work, dedication, scientific knowledge, and cultural gifts of hundreds of thousands of immigrants from

Hungary; and

Whereas in this year Hungary also celebrates the 10th anniversary of its first post-communist free and democratic

elections, the first such elections within the former Warsaw Pact: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) congratulates the Republic of Hungary, and

4 Hungarians everywhere, on the one thousandth anni5 versary of the founding of the Kingdom of Hungary

6 by Saint Stephen; and

7 (2) commends the Republic of Hungary for the

8 great determination, skill, and sense of purpose it

9 demonstrated in its recent transition to a democratic

10 state dedicated to upholding universal rights and lib11 erties, a free market economy, and integration into

12 European and transatlantic institutions.

Passed the House of Representatives October 2,

2000.

Attest:

Clerk.