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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, On April 4, 1818, during the same year that | ||||||
| 3 | Illinois was granted statehood, the United States
Congress | ||||||
| 4 | passed the Flag Act of 1818, defining as the standard for our | ||||||
| 5 | nation's flag that it shall be comprised of
13 alternating red | ||||||
| 6 | and white horizontal stripes along with a field of blue | ||||||
| 7 | containing 20 white stars representing
the 20 states at that | ||||||
| 8 | time; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, The Flag Act of 1818 specified that a star should | ||||||
| 10 | be added to our nation's flag
for each future state admitted to | ||||||
| 11 | the union and that each new star should be added on the next | ||||||
| 12 | Independence Day,
July 4, following a state's admission to the | ||||||
| 13 | union; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, On December 3, 1818, President James Monroe signed | ||||||
| 15 | the congressional authorization admitting
Illinois into the | ||||||
| 16 | union as the 21st state of the United States of America; and | ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, On July 4, 1819, the 21st star, representing | ||||||
| 18 | Illinois statehood, was added to the United States flag,
which | ||||||
| 19 | served as the official flag until July 3, 1820 when the 22nd | ||||||
| 20 | and 23rd stars were added; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, On December 3, 2018, Illinois celebrated its | ||||||
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| 1 | bicentennial, culminating a year-long celebration of
our great | ||||||
| 2 | State's 200th birthday; and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, July 4, 2018 will be the 200th anniversary of the | ||||||
| 4 | 21st star being added to the flag of the United
States, | ||||||
| 5 | representing Illinois as the 21st state of our union; it was | ||||||
| 6 | also the first star added to the flag under the Flag Act of
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| 7 | 1818, which remains the law to this day defining how stars are | ||||||
| 8 | added to the United States flag; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Any version of the United States flag which has | ||||||
| 10 | previously been an official version of the flag,
including the | ||||||
| 11 | 21-star flag following Illinois statehood, is still determined | ||||||
| 12 | to be an official flag of the United
States and can be used in | ||||||
| 13 | any setting as an official flag of the United States; | ||||||
| 14 | therefore, be it
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| 15 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 16 | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 17 | on July 4, 2019, the bicentennial of the 21st star being added | ||||||
| 18 | to the
flag of the United States, we honor that flag as a | ||||||
| 19 | lasting symbol of Illinois statehood; and be it further
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| 20 | RESOLVED, That we encourage the citizens of Illinois to | ||||||
| 21 | celebrate the 200th anniversary of the star
representing | ||||||
| 22 | Illinois being added to the flag of the United States by | ||||||
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| 1 | remembering this historic occasion on
Independence Day 2019.
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