,,iii  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #aha  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #ba1
 #bjac ,mr4 ,rockefeller 7for himself   
and ,mr4 ,manchin7 submitted the        
following resolution2 which was         
considered and agreed to  ,,resolution  
,recognizing the sesquicentennial of    
,west ,virginia and commemorating its   
history1 people1 and culture4  ,whereas 
,alexander ,spotswood1 ,lieutenant      
,governor of ,virginia1 led a westward  
expedition in #agaf1 claiming land      
beyond the ,allegheny ,mountains for    
,king ,george ,i2 ,whereas early        
settlement of present-day ,west         
,virginia began in the ,eastern         
,panhandle1 with development of western 
areas to follow2 ,whereas slave         
abolitionist ,john ,brown launched an   
ill-fated raid on a ,united ,states     
arsenal in ,harpers ,ferry in #ahei and 
was later convicted of treason1         
conspiracy1 and murder in nearby        
,charles ,town1 inflaming anti- and     

pro-slavery factions in the ,north and  
the ,south2 ,whereas citizens in the    
region opposed the decision of ,virginia
 during the ,civil ,war to secede from  
the ,united ,states2 ,whereas ,west     
,virginia was admitted to the ,union by 
,congress on ,june #bj1 #ahfc1 following
 a proclamation by ,president ,abraham  
,lincoln1 making it the only ,state     
created from the ,civil ,war2 ,whereas  
the bold decision of those first ,west  
,virginians resonates today with the    
words of the official ,state motto1     
,montani ,semper ,liberi1 meaning ,west 
,virginians ,are ,always ,free2 ,whereas
 ,west ,virginia is the only state      
located entirely within the ,appalachian
 ,mountains2 ,whereas the industries in 
,west ,virginia are wedded to its land1 
supplying #ae percent of the coal in the
 ,united ,states1 forging steel1        
producing timber1 and fostering a       
present-day boom in natural gas         
production1 and to its innovations      
including burgeoning biometrics and     

automotive industries2 ,whereas the     
workers of ,west ,virginia are the salt 
of the earth and set hard work as a     
cornerstone of a life rich with pride1  
especially its miners who daily travel  
deep underground to mine the coal that  
keeps the ,united ,states humming2      
,whereas the sense of patriotism in     
,west ,virginia runs deep and true1 as  
the ,state has the highest number of men
 and women per capita serving the       
,united ,states in the ,armed ,forces   
and a population of veterans wholly     
dedicated to making sure all who serve  
are supported2 ,whereas the communities 
in ,west ,virginia exemplify the phrase 
neighbor helping neighbor2 ,whereas the 
awe-inspiring landscapes of the         
,mountain ,state grant residents and    
tourists the chance to climb mountains1 
fish streams1 hunt in forests1 raft     
rapids1 and traverse trails1 making     
tourism one of the preeminent economic  
drivers of the ,state2 ,whereas ,west   
,virginia is home to the longest steel  

arch bridge in the world1 the ,new      
,river ,gorge ,bridge1 which spans      
#a1hae feet over the ,new ,river        
,canyon1 and the highest peak in the    
,state is ,spruce ,knob1 sitting at     
#d1hfa feet above sea level2 ,whereas   
,west ,virginia has seen important      
inventions1 including the first         
steamboat1 the first iron furnace1 the  
first electric railroad1 the first glass
 plant1 and the first pottery plant2    
,whereas the heritage of ,west ,virginia
 can be felt in its handmade creations1 
from quilts and woodwork to dinnerware  
and paintings1 heard in its mountain    
music1 from hometown jamborees to       
fiddle-playing on front porches and     
songs from well-worn hymnals1 and       
enjoyed in its unique cuisine1 from     
pepperoni rolls to wild ramps and       
buckwheat cakes with sausage2 ,whereas  
many icons hold their roots in ,west    
,virginia1 from ,general ,thomas        
,stonewall ,jackson to ,nobel           
,prize-winning author ,pearl ,s4 ,buck1 

educational leader ,booker ,t4          
,washington1 ,mother's ,day founder     
,anna ,jarvis1 and ,brigadier ,general  
,charles ,chuck ,yeager2 and ,whereas1  
during a rainy centennial celebration on
 the front steps of the ,capitol of     
,west ,virginia in ,charleston on ,june 
#bj1 #aifc1 ,president ,john ,f4        
,kennedy proclaimed1 ,the sun does not  
always shine in ,west ,virginia but the 
people always do3 ,now1 therefore1 be it
  ,that the ,senate--  7#a7 observes the
 sesquicentennial of ,west ,virginia2   
and  7#b7 celebrates the remarkable     
heritage and contributions of the people
 of ,west ,virginia4