Statements On Introduced Bills And Joint Resolutions
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - January 12, 2007)
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Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, I am proud to support the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area Act. Today, that bill is being introduced by my esteemed colleague, Senator WARNER, along with myself and other Members of the Senate. A bipartisan group also has introduced this bill in the House of Representatives.
This bill will designate the corridor that runs between Gettysburg, PA, and Charlottesville, VA, as a National Heritage Area. Within this proposed area, there are numerous sites of historic importance, including eight Presidential homes. This hallowed ground is a geographic area of immense beauty, history, and cultural significance, which will be protected under the terms of this bill.
For me, this hallowed ground has special personal significance, drawing me back to thoughts of my ancestors who settled and worked much of this land centuries before. I cannot visit this part of the country without harkening back to the tough, resilient women on buckboard wagons, hard men with rifles walking alongside, and kids tending cattle as they made their way down the mud trail called the Wilderness Road.
As I wrote in my book ``Born Fighting,' my ancestors--the Scots-Irish--were a proud, adventurous people who left their native lands for the early American colonies in the 18th century. The majority of these courageous pioneers settled along the Appalachian Mountains from Pennsylvania southward into Virginia and beyond. Ultimately, they migrated westward, in the process helping to shape America's independent, individualistic, unbridled culture.
This bill will help preserve the legacy of these early settlers for future generations. Moreover, this bill is a truly patriotic piece of legislation--one that will help us capture the rich diversity and historic experiences of our American forefathers and mothers.
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