III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 375 

Celebrating the bicentennial of the City of Columbus, the capital city of 

the State of Ohio. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2012 

Mr. BROWN of Ohio (for himself and Mr. PORTMAN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Celebrating the bicentennial of the City of Columbus, the 

capital city of the State of Ohio. 

Whereas in 1787, Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance 

to settle claims following the American Revolution and 

begin the westward expansion of our Nation; 

Whereas in 1803, Ohio was admitted as the 17th State in the 

Union, becoming the first territory of the Northwest Ordinance to achieve statehood; 

Whereas in 1812, the Ohio General Assembly was offered 

land along the Scioto River in Central Ohio to serve as 

the capital of the State, due to its central location; 

Whereas on February 14, 1812, the Ohio General Assembly 

officially designated the new capital city as Columbus, in 

honor of Christopher Columbus; 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 375 ATS 

Whereas Columbus emerged as a trading and transportation 

hub through the influence of the Ohio & Erie Canal and 

the National Highway; 

Whereas on March 3, 1834, 31 years after Ohio achieved 

statehood, Columbus was officially chartered as a city because of its growing population; 

Whereas during the Civil War, Columbus was home to Camp 

Chase, a major base for the Union Army that housed 

26,000 troops, Camp Jackson, an assembly center for recruits, and Columbus Barracks, which served as an arsenal; 

Whereas Columbus was a major outpost on the Underground 

Railroad, led by the Kelton family, who assisted fugitive 

slaves on their road to freedom; 

Whereas in 1870, the Ohio General Assembly used to the 

Morrill Land Grant Act to create the Ohio Agricultural 

and Mechanical College, which was renamed the Ohio 

State University in 1878 and is presently one of the Nation’s premier public universities and an anchor for economic activity in the City of Columbus; 

Whereas Columbus is home to other world-class institutions 

of higher learning, including Capital University, established in 1830, Columbus College of Art and Design, established in 1879, Pontifical College Josephinum, established in 1888, Franklin University, established in 1902, 

Mount Carmel College of Nursing, established in 1903, 

Ohio Dominican University, established in 1911, and Columbus State Community College, established in 1963; 

Whereas Columbus is home to some of the Nation’s earliest 

schools for Americans living with disabilities, having esVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:00 Feb 14, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR375.ATS SR375

tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•SRES 375 ATS 

tablished the Ohio School for the Deaf in 1829 and the 

Ohio State School for the Blind in 1837; 

Whereas Columbus is of historical importance to the organized labor movement, as one of the Nation’s first federations of labor, the American Federation of Labor, was 

founded in Columbus in 1886; 

Whereas the American Veterans of Foreign Service, the earliest organization of veterans of foreign wars, was founded in Columbus in 1899; 

Whereas in the late 19th century and the early 20th century, 

Columbus saw the rise of manufacturing and steel businesses, brewers, and cultural and arts institutions, such 

as the Southern Theatre; 

Whereas leading retail corporations, health care and insurance companies, and financial institutions call Columbus 

their home, attracted by the city’s world-class workforce 

and cultural outlets; 

Whereas Columbus serves as a leader in cutting-edge medical 

research and hospital systems through the Ohio State 

Medical Center and the Arthur James Cancer Hospital 

and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Nationwide 

Children’s Hospital, Mt. Carmel Hospital, Riverside Community Hospital, and Grant Medical Center; 

Whereas Columbus is home to green space and parks that are 

used as both community gathering locations and to honor 

pioneers, including Shrum Mound, one of the last remaining conical burial mounds in the United States, 

which dates back more than 2,000 years; 

Whereas Columbus is also home to the Midwest’s largest 

Fourth of July Festival and the famed Ohio State Fair; 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•SRES 375 ATS 

Whereas Columbus combines excellence in art and culture 

with professional sports teams such as the Columbus 

Clippers, the Columbus Crew, and the Columbus Blue 

Jackets; 

Whereas Columbus is Ohio’s most populous city and the 15th

largest city in the United States, as well as one of the 

fastest growing cities in the Eastern United States; 

Whereas February 14, 2012, marks the 200th anniversary of 

the founding of Columbus, Ohio; and 

Whereas the citizens of Columbus will commemorate a yearlong bicentennial celebration with the theme of ‘‘Honor 

the Past. Celebrate the Present. Envision the Future.’’: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) celebrates the bicentennial anniversary of 

3 the founding of the City of Columbus, the capital of 

4 the State of Ohio; and 

5 (2) honors the important economic, cultural, 

6 educational, and artistic contributions that the peo7 ple of Columbus have made to this Nation over the 

8 past 200 years. 

Æ 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS