2025 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 858
Commending the First Landing 1607 Project.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 21, 2025
WHEREAS, the First Landing 1607 Project promotes and preserves the importance of the Commonwealth in regards to its role in the political and religious founding of the nation; and
WHEREAS, on April 26, 1607, English settlers landed on the shores of Virginia at Cape Henry and on April 29, 1607, with orders from The Virginia Company to plant the cross they carried with them on the shore, held a cross dedication service and dedicated the land known as Virginia to Christ and King; and
WHEREAS, Christopher Newport, captain of the Susan Constant, erected on May 24, 1607, a cross at the James River fall line in what is now the City of Richmond; in 1907, a bronze replica of the Christopher Newport Cross mounted on a base of stones from the James River was erected in remembrance of the claiming and dedication of the land now known as Virginia for Christ and for England; and
WHEREAS, on December 4, 1619, Virginia settlers held a prayer service at Berkeley in Charles City County to be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God, marking the first Thanksgiving in the New World; and
WHEREAS, George Mason wrote in the Virginia Declaration of Rights, forerunner to the United States Bill of Rights, largely drafted by James Madison, that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love and charity towards each other; and
WHEREAS, the founders of our country were great men and women from many religious denominations, races, and cultures, who came here from all over the world to establish a country with liberty and justice for all, and Judeo-Christian beliefs are an integral part of this rich heritage in Virginia; and
WHEREAS, the First Landing 1607 Project shares this rich Virginia history through informational outreach, public lectures, and promotional events; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the First Landing 1607 Project hereby be commended for its efforts to protect and promote the history and role of the Commonwealth in the foundation of the United States; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the First Landing 1607 Project as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the organization's achievements.