Bill Text: VA HJR417 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the Fairfax Resolves Chapter of the Virginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-07 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ417ER) [HJR417 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HJR417-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the Fairfax Resolves Chapter of the Virginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution is named for the Fairfax Resolves, a set of resolutions adopted at a citizen's convention in Fairfax County in July 1774, which became one of the most consequential documents of the early American Revolution for its clear and detailed rejection of British Parliamentary authority over the Thirteen Colonies; and
WHEREAS, the Fairfax Resolves were developed in response to the Coercive Acts, better known as the Intolerable Acts, passed by British Parliament in early 1774 to reassert its dominance over the colonies after the Boston Tea Party; and
WHEREAS, written primarily by George Mason, with contributions from George Washington and other authors, the Fairfax Resolves asserted the rights of the Thirteen Colonies, challenged the oppressive actions of British Parliament, and called for an association of colonies to enforce measures protesting British authority until demands for autonomy were met, a precursor to revolutionary action; and
WHEREAS, the Fairfax Resolves were adopted on July 18, 1774, at a Fairfax County meeting chaired by George Washington; more than 30 counties in Virginia passed similar resolutions, but the Fairfax Resolves are generally considered the most detailed, the most radical, and the most influential; and
WHEREAS, the Fairfax Resolves clearly stated the American claims to equal rights under the British constitution, including representation in Parliament, control over taxation, control over military forces within their borders, control over judicial powers, and control over commercial actions; and
WHEREAS, the Fairfax Resolves represented a major step toward American independence, containing the implied threat of further actions to enforce American rights and calling for a general congress of the Thirteen Colonies, which took the form of the First Continental Congress later that year; and
WHEREAS, the Fairfax Resolves Chapter of the Virginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution has held reenactments of the reading of the Fairfax Resolves and continues to promote the role these important resolutions played in the foundation of the United States; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Fairfax Resolves Chapter of the Virginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution for honoring the legacy of the Fairfax Resolves on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of their signing; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to the Fairfax Resolves Chapter of the Virginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution and Fairfax County as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the historical significance of the Fairfax Resolves.
