HR0327 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0327 LRB099 11633 MST 33406 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On April 9, 1965, at the Appomattox Court House in the State of Virginia, Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, surrendered his Confederate forces to Ulysses S. Grant, Commander of the Union Army; and

WHEREAS, This was the beginning of the end of the American Civil War, which saw over 750,000 Americans on both sides killed; and

WHEREAS, The end of the Civil War also saw the end of slavery in America, freeing a slave population that had reached nearly 4 million in 1860; and

WHEREAS, On April 9, 2015, the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, at 2:15 p.m., as part of the "Ring the Bell" campaign, churches, temples, schools, city halls, public buildings, and historic sites are invited to ring their bells for 4 minutes to represent the 4 years of the Civil War; the bells will first ring at the Appomattox Court House National Park to coincide with the moment when General Grant met General Lee to set the terms of the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War and the end of slavery in the America; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage people to take part in the "Ring the Bell" campaign in recognition of those who fought in the Civil War and the continuing struggle for Civil Rights.