SR0643 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0643 LRB097 20581 KXB 66211 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Native American Peoples have been disassociated from their traditional homelands contrary to a universal belief that all persons have inherent worth and dignity; human relations should be based on justice, equity, and compassion; this world should be a community of peace, liberty, and justice for all; and our communities should seek to live in peace with our fellow human beings, both as individuals and as peoples; and

WHEREAS, The Doctrine of Discovery was a principle of law developed in a series of 15th century papal bulls and royal charters by European monarchs by which the Americas were first explored, and was the legal authority used by those who colonized the Americas, appropriated lands and resources, and attempted to dominate Native American Nations and undermine inherent Native American sovereignty; and

WHEREAS, After the United States Revolutionary War, the tenets of the Doctrine of Discovery were continued by the new states and courts, controlling all purchase of lands and any foreign, personal, or commercial interactions with tribes; and

WHEREAS, Prior to and during the War of 1812, the principles of the Doctrine of Discovery were practiced by both the British and the United States in relations and transactions with the Native American tribes; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Territory was on the border of this conflict between Great Britain and the United States and used by the British to conduct raids on American settlements during the War of 1812; and

WHEREAS, Following the War of 1812, Native American peoples who had supported either the United States or Great Britain during the war continued to be subjected to the policies of the Doctrine of Discovery resulting in the appropriation of their lands and resources, the prohibition of their cultural and spiritual practices, and the reduction of their sovereign rights, resulting in the complete elimination of their land in the Illinois Territory, which later became the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that during this bicentennial remembrance of the War of 1812, and in recognition of all Native American peoples whose ancestors once lived on, temporarily resided in, or traveled through the great State of Illinois, we designate November 2012 as Native American History Month and join governmental and public organizations in paying tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Illinois State Historical Society, the American Indian Center in Chicago, the American Indian Museum at the Smithsonian, in Washington, D. C. and the D'Arcy McNickel Center for the History of the American Indian, Newberry Library, in Chicago.