HR0167 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0167 LRB096 11748 KXB 22504 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The American Philhellenes Society was established in 1810 and was in existence until 1840; American Philhellenes were the brave men who left the safety of America to travel to Greece and assist in the Greek War for Independence against the Ottoman Empire; and

WHEREAS, Petros Mavromichalis, on behalf of the Messinian Congress, sent a letter to Secretary of State John Adams, urging moral support from the newly formed United States; President Monroe noted that, due to the language of the Monroe Doctrine, that the United States could not get involved in a European dispute; and

WHEREAS, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, General Sam Houston, and Edward Everett all spoke on behalf of aiding the Greek Revolution; and

WHEREAS, Volunteer Americans began traveling to Greece to aid in the struggle for independence; among these brave men was George Jarvis, a New Yorker, who traveled to Greece in 1822; he died while in Greece, but his appeals for aid from the United States soon made him a role model to other Americans; and

WHEREAS, Captain Jonathan Miller also traveled to Greece and was present during the fall of Messolongi to the Ottoman invaders; Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, a physician from Boston, also enlisted in the Greek Army, serving as a soldier and surgeon; he went on to establish a medical center in Aegina and a school for the blind in Corinth; and

WHEREAS, Through the efforts of these gallant men, medical aid, supplies, as well as other fighters made the journey to Greece; because of the work of these men, thousands of Greeks were saved from starvation, disease, and exposure; in addition, many of these men adopted Greek orphans who came to the United States and received educations, and later went on to lead productive lives as American citizens or by returning to the newly independent Greece; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor George Jarvis, Captain Jonathan Miller, and Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, as well as many other great Americans, for their valiant efforts in the Greek War for Independence; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented at the banquet honoring the American Philhellenes Society.