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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, February 12, 2009 is the two-hundredth
3 anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's birth; and
 
4     WHEREAS, President Abraham Lincoln's family made Illinois
5 their home; his history of public service is rich and diverse
6 and includes being a representative in the lower house in
7 Illinois government, a successful lawyer, and a member of the
8 U.S. House of Representatives wherein he advocated that "any
9 people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the
10 right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and
11 form a new one that suits them better"; and
 
12     WHEREAS, During President Abraham Lincoln's legendary run
13 for the United States Senate against Stephen A. Douglas, he
14 displayed the importance of being educated, articulate, and
15 tenacious in advocating for his point of view; and
 
16     WHEREAS, President Abraham Lincoln, in his famous address
17 at Gettysburg, asked citizens to devote themselves to the cause
18 of government of the people, by the people, and for the people,
19 and espoused that such a government will not prosper without an
20 informed and involved citizenry; and
 
21     WHEREAS, President Abraham Lincoln valued education; he

 

 

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1 governed during a tumultuous time in United States history
2 wherein fervent debate existed regarding the balance of
3 security versus liberty; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Responsible citizenship and effective community
5 participation, wherein citizens are informed and actively
6 engaged, are learned behaviors and necessary in order to have a
7 healthy democratic society; and
 
8     WHEREAS, The promotion of civic engagement is a diverse
9 endeavor that includes, but is not limited to, voting,
10 monitoring local government agencies, voicing points of view
11 through exercising first amendment rights, and petitioning
12 government bodies on issues of public significance; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Illinois supports the efforts of diverse
14 organizations to increase public involvement in government
15 affairs and other civic institutions for the purpose of
16 fostering citizen-initiated democratic communities where
17 members of the public are civically engaged and understand and
18 practice their rights and responsibilities; therefore, be it
 
19     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL
20 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare February of
21 2009 as a month of civic engagement in the spirit of Abraham
22 Lincoln, our most famous citizen and sixteenth president.