III 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 635 

Recognizing and commemorating the bicentennial of the State of Indiana. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 10 (legislative day, DECEMBER 9), 2016 

Mr. COATS (for himself and Mr. DONNELLY) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing and commemorating the bicentennial of the 

State of Indiana. 

Whereas December 11, 2016, marks the 200th year of the 

statehood of the State of Indiana, and in honor of the 

momentous occasion, Hoosiers across the State of Indiana will celebrate the historic past and the prosperous future of the State of Indiana; 

Whereas, on December 11, 1816, President James Madison 

signed the Joint Resolution entitled ‘‘Resolution for admitting the state of Indiana into the Union’’, approved 

December 11, 1816 (3 Stat. 399), which admitted the 

State of Indiana as the 19th State of the United States 

and required that the leaders of the State of Indiana 

draft a State constitution; 


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Whereas Jonathan Jennings, who spearheaded the effort in 

Congress to secure Indiana statehood, together with 43 

of his peers, drafted the first Indiana State Constitution 

beneath the shade of a giant elm tree in the city of 

Corydon, Indiana, during the summer of 1816; 

Whereas in recognition of his role in Congress and as president of the constitutional convention of the State of Indiana, Jonathan Jennings was appointed the first Governor 

of the State of Indiana, the giant elm tree was later 

dubbed the Constitution Elm, and Corydon, Indiana, 

served as the first capital of the State of Indiana; 

Whereas, in October 1824, a coalition of State officials commenced an 11-day trek to move the capital of the State 

of Indiana 130 miles north from Corydon to Indianapolis; 

Whereas, in 1850, a second constitutional convention of the 

State of Indiana convened with the purpose of establishing more frequent elections, imposing restrictions on 

State debt, and creating biannual legislative sessions for 

the Indiana General Assembly, and as of November 2016, 

the Indiana State Constitution of 1850, as amended, still 

governs the State of Indiana; 

Whereas, in 1888, Benjamin Harrison was the first and only 

Hoosier to be elected President; 

Whereas, since 1869, 5 Hoosiers have served the United 

States as Vice President, and in 2016, the sixth Hoosier 

to serve as Vice President was elected; 

Whereas in celebration of the centennial of the State of Indiana, a design competition for the State flag was held, 

and the design by Paul Hadley was chosen for its stoic 

symbolism, including— 


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(1) the torch that stands for liberty and enlightenment; 

(2) the rays that signify that knowledge and freedom 

are available for all Hoosiers; 

(3) the 18 small stars that correspond to the States 

in the Union before the State of Indiana; and 

(4) the 19th and largest star that represents the 

State of Indiana; 

Whereas, the Indiana General Assembly adopted the flag designed by Paul Hadley as the flag of the State of Indiana 

in 1917; 

Whereas, in 1937, by the direction of a resolution of the Indiana General Assembly, ‘‘the Crossroads of America’’ became the official motto of the State of Indiana because 

the city of Indianapolis serves as an intersection of several major interstate highways that link— 

(1) Hoosiers throughout the State of Indiana; and 

(2) individuals across the United States; 

Whereas the seal of the State of Indiana— 

(1) was approved by the Indiana General Assembly 

in 1963 and originated from a lineage of designs dating 

back to the period during which Indiana was a territory 

of the United States; 

(2) illustrates a scene from the pioneer era of— 

(A) a woodsman cutting into 1 of 2 sycamore 

trees; 

(B) a buffalo in the foreground jumping over a 

log; and 

(C) the sun beginning to set behind 3 hills in 

the background; 

Whereas residents of the State of Indiana embrace the nickname for the State of Indiana, ‘‘the Hoosier State’’, 


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pride for the term ‘‘Hoosier’’ is deeply rooted in the history of the State of Indiana, and Hoosiers bear the nickname proudly; 

Whereas May 29, 2016, marked the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, which is a great source of pride to all 

residents of the State of Indiana because of its influential 

role in shaping and defining the city of Indianapolis and 

the State of Indiana; 

Whereas the Indiana Bicentennial Commission was established in December of 2011 with the objective of honoring the 200 years of history of the State of Indiana; 

Whereas the Indiana Bicentennial Commission has 4 key pillars, which are— 

(1) historical celebration; 

(2) youth and education; 

(3) nature conservation; and 

(4) community involvement; 

Whereas, to achieve its 4 main directives, the Indiana Bicentennial Commission has several major projects, including— 

(1) a Bicentennial Nature Trust that allocates 

$30,000,000 in matching funds to acquire land statewide 

for the purposes of recreation and conservation; 

(2) the construction of a Statehouse Education Center in the Indiana State Library; 

(3) the building of a Bicentennial Plaza on the west 

side of the Statehouse that features art and improves 

public access to the surrounding governmental buildings; 

and 

(4) the construction of a new facility to house the 

Indiana State Archives to provide increased access to the 

most important documents of the State of Indiana; 


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Whereas, on September 9, 2016, a torch relay began in 

Corydon, Indiana, and ended at the Statehouse on October 15, 2016, during which the torch traveled through all 

92 counties of the State of Indiana in— 

(1) an effort to fortify the communal connection of 

all Hoosiers; and 

(2) a symbolic culmination of the series of 

celebratory and educational bicentennial events, concluding on Statehood Day on December 11, 2016; and 

Whereas it is fitting that the bicentennial of the State of Indiana and the corresponding 200 years of rich history are 

celebrated: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate recognizes and commemo2 rates the bicentennial of the State of Indiana. 

Æ 


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