WHEREAS, February 27, 1766, was the date of the adoption of the Leedstown Resolutions, also known as the Leedstown Resolves, authored by Richard Henry Lee in protest of the British crown's imposition of "taxation without representation"; and WHEREAS, 150 patriots from the counties of Westmoreland, King George, Essex, Stafford, Northumberland, Richmond, Lancaster, Caroline, Spotsylvania, Prince William, Loudoun, and Fairfax, and the City of Fredericksburg would sign Leedstown Resolutions, in which they "most solemnly bind ourselves…at the utmost risque of our lives and fortunes"; and WHEREAS, the Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society was established in 1951 under the leadership of Senator Robert O. Norris, Jr., of Lively, Delegate W. Tayloe Murphy, Sr., of Warsaw, and Delegate Charles F. Unruh of Kinsale, among other notable volunteers; and WHEREAS, the Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society annually commemorates the Leedstown Resolutions and has held these events throughout the region; and WHEREAS, the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Leedstown Resolutions was held on Saturday, February 27, 2016, at Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County, the boyhood home of the author of the Leedstown Resolutions, who was a member of the General Assembly from 1781 to 1785; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Leedstown Resolutions hereby be commemorated; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society as an expression of the General Assembly's appreciation for the importance of the Leedstown Resolutions to the history and heritage of the nation. |