IV
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 223
Honoring the sesquicentennial of Wisconsin statehood.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 24, 1998
Mr. SENSENBRENNER (for himself, Mr. OBEY, Mr. PETRI, Mr. KLECZKA, Mr.
KLUG, Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin, Mr. NEUMANN, Mr. JOHNSON of Wis-
consin, and Mr. KIND) submitted the following concurrent resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform and Over-
sight
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Honoring the sesquicentennial of Wisconsin statehood.
Whereas the land that comprises the State of Wisconsin has
been home to numerous Native American tribes for many
years;
Whereas Jean Nicolet, who was the first known European to
land in what was to become Wisconsin, arrived on the
shores of Green Bay in 1634;
Whereas Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet discov-
ered the Mississippi River, one of the principal waterways
of North America, at Prairie du Chien on June 17, 1673;
Whereas Charles de Langlade founded at Green Bay the first
permanent European settlement in Wisconsin in 1764;
•HCON 223 IH
Whereas, before becoming a State, Wisconsin existed under
3 flags, becoming part of the British colonial territory
under the Treaty of Paris in 1763, part of the Province
of Quebec under the Quebec Act of 1774, and a territory
of the United States under the Second Treaty of Paris
in 1783;
Whereas, on July 3, 1836, the Wisconsin Territory was cre-
ated from part of the Northwest Territory with Henry
Dodge as its first governor and Belmont as its first cap-
ital;
Whereas the city of Madison was chosen as the Wisconsin
Territory’s permanent capital in the fall of 1836 and con-
struction of the Capitol Building began in 1837;
Whereas, pursuant to legislation signed by President James
K. Polk, Wisconsin joined the United States as the 30th
State on May 29, 1848;
Whereas members of Native American tribes have greatly
contributed to the unique culture and identity of Wiscon-
sin by lending words from their languages to the names
of many places in the State and by sharing their customs
and beliefs with others who chose to make Wisconsin
their home;
Whereas the Wisconsin State motto of ‘‘Forward’’ was adopt-
ed in 1851;
Whereas Chester Hazen built Wisconsin’s first cheese factory
in the town of Ladoga in 1864, laying the groundwork
for one of the State’s biggest industries;
Whereas Wisconsin established itself as a leader in recogniz-
ing the contributions of African Americans by being the
only State in the Union to openly defy the Fugitive Slave
Law;
•HCON 223 IH
Whereas the first recognized Flag Day celebration in the
United States took place at Stony Hill School in
Waubeka, Wisconsin, on June 14, 1885;
Whereas Wisconsin has sent 859,489 of its sons and daugh-
ters to serve the United States in the Civil War, the
Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II,
Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Somalia;
Whereas 26,653 Wisconsinites lost their lives serving in the
Armed Forces of the United States;
Whereas Wisconsin allowed African Americans the right to
vote as early as 1866 and adopted a public accommoda-
tion law as early as 1895;
Whereas on June 20, 1920, Wisconsin became the first State
to adopt the 19th amendment, granting women the right
to vote;
Whereas in 1921 Wisconsin adopted a law establishing equal
rights for women;
Whereas Wisconsin celebrated the centennial of its statehood
on May 29, 1948;
Whereas many Wisconsinites have served the people of Wis-
consin and the people of the United States and have con-
tributed to the common good in a variety of capacities,
from inventor to architect, from furniture maker to cabi-
net member, from brewer to Nobel Prize winner;
Whereas the State of Wisconsin enjoys a diverse cultural, ra-
cial, and ethnic heritage that mirrors that of the United
States;
Whereas May 29, 1998, marks the 150th anniversary of Wis-
consin statehood; and
•HCON 223 IH
Whereas a stamp commemorating Wisconsin’s sesquicenten-
nial will be issued by the United States Postal Service on
May 29, 1998: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress—
(1) honors the proud history of Wisconsin state-
hood; and
(2) encourages all Wisconsinites to reflect on
the State’s distinguished past and look forward to
the State’s promising future.
SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL OF CONCURRENT RESOLUTION.
The Congress directs the Clerk of the House of Rep-
resentatives to transmit a copy of this concurrent resolu-
tion to each member of the Wisconsin congressional dele-
gation, the Governor of Wisconsin, the National Archives,
the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, and the mem-
bers of the Wisconsin Sesquicentennial Commission.
Æ