•HRES 918 IH 
Whereas, in 1798, Simon Perkins, a 27-year-old land agent 
employed by the Erie Land Company, a group of inves-
tors that included Moses Cleaveland, came to the West-
ern Reserve of Connecticut, where he helped build a town 
on the banks of the Cuyahoga River at Lake Erie; 
Whereas, in 1803, Ohio became the 17th State and the first 
State carved out of the Northwest Territory; 
Whereas, in 1806, Simon Perkins surveyed much of the 
Western Reserve, land that presently constitutes Summit 
and Portage Counties and was then part of the original 
Jefferson County; 
Whereas, in 1807, the Ohio Legislature created Portage 
County, which encompassed most of present-day Summit 
County, including Akron; 
Whereas, in 1810, early settler Major Miner Spicer from 
Groton, Connecticut, built a log cabin on land now owned 
by the University of Akron; 
Whereas, during the War of 1812, Simon Perkins, now a 
brigadier general, led 400 men in the Ohio militia in de-
fense of the State against British forces; 
Whereas, in 1812, Paul Williams purchased 109 acres of land 
for $2.50 per acre for farming; 
Whereas Paul Williams built a log cabin for his family near 
what is now the intersection of Buchtel Avenue and 
Broadway; 
Whereas, in the summer of 1825, Simon Perkins asked Con-
necticut surveyor Joshua Henshaw to create a plat map 
of a new village that would rise on land straddling one 
of North America’s great watershed divides; 
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•HRES 918 IH 
Whereas the founders named the town of Akron after the 
Greek word ‘‘a´kros’’, meaning ‘‘summit’’ or ‘‘high point’’; 
Whereas, on December 6, 1825, the plat map was recorded, 
and the town of Akron was officially established; 
Whereas John Brown and his family lived in Akron, Ohio, be-
tween 1844 and 1854, during which he harbored enslaved 
persons traveling North on the Underground Railroad; 
Whereas, in 1851, during the Women’s Convention in Akron, 
abolitionist and activist Sojourner Truth delivered her ex-
temporaneous speech ‘‘Ain’t I A Woman?’’ highlighting 
the plight of Black women and encouraging equal treat-
ment under the law; 
Whereas the city of Akron became known as the ‘‘Rubber 
Capital of the World’’, serving as headquarters for 4 
major tire companies; 
Whereas, during the Akron Rubber Strike of 1936, more 
than 5,000 workers and supporters protested for 5 
weeks, leading to the recognition of the United Rubber 
workers union; 
Whereas Akron continues to revolutionize the manufacturing 
and use of polymers through the Economic Development 
Administration’s Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub; 
Whereas Akron is the birthplace of historic athletes such as 
LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Butch Reynolds, 
leading to the city being referred to as the ‘‘Birthplace 
of Champions’’; 
Whereas Akron is the birthplace of generations of people who 
have impacted society, art, education, science, and Amer-
ican life, including world-renowned bands such as Devo 
and The Black Keys and musicians such as Chrissie 
Hynde and Howard Hewett; 
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•HRES 918 IH 
Whereas Akron is the birthplace of renowned actors such as 
Melina Kanakaredes, Angie Everhart, Lola Albright, 
John Magaro, and Elizabeth Franz, and television per-
sonalities such as Hugh Downs; 
Whereas Akron is the birthplace of American astronaut Ju-
dith Resnik, the first Jewish woman to fly in space, who 
tragically perished during the space shuttle Challenger 
disaster; and 
Whereas Akron is the birthplace of Rita Dove, the first Afri-
can-American to serve as the Poet Laureate Consultant 
in Poetry to the Library of Congress: Now, therefore, be 
it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) honors and commemorates 200 years of his-
toric contributions to American culture made by the 
city of Akron; 
(2) recognizes the city’s longstanding history of 
fighting for economic, gender, and racial justice; and 
(3) encourages Akron to continue standing up 
to injustices and supporting workers’ rights for an-
other 200 years. 
Æ 
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