Resolution; commemorating America's 250th birthday.

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STATE OF OKLAHOMA

2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)

SENATE
RESOLUTION 24 By: McIntosh

AS INTRODUCED

A Resolution commemorating America’s 250th birthday
and her guiding foundational principles.

WHEREAS, celebrating 250 years since America’s founding, this
Legislature acknowledges and remembers the guiding and foundational
principles and truths that have established and given birth to
America’s freedom and success as a nation; and
WHEREAS, the Declaration of Independence boldly and clearly
identified the political philosophy of America when it stated: “We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness”, acknowledging and enshrining into our
nation’s founding document the foundational truth that our rights
come from God, the Creator; and
WHEREAS, the core political beliefs of the founding fathers
included: ordered liberty; equality; natural rights, including

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defense of self, community, and nation; freedom of speech and press;
and the free exercise of religion; and
WHEREAS, the founding fathers recognized historical events and
texts—such as the Ten Commandments; the Mosaic Law; the New
Testament; the experiences of the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and
Romans; the English Common Law; the Magna Carta; and the English
Bill of Rights—as a basis for American law and public policy; and
WHEREAS, America was founded as a constitutional republic,
establishing separation of powers and federalism under a written
constitution, and thereby avoiding the fatal tendencies of a
democracy; and
WHEREAS, in moments of hardships and success, America’s people
have historically turned to God, the giver of their rights, to give
thanks and seek protection and guidance; and
WHEREAS, at Cape Henry Landing in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607,
Rev. Robert Hunt and the original Jamestown settlers erected a cross
and had a prayer ceremony dedicating the new land to the Lord in
what is considered the first English Christian worship service in
America; and
WHEREAS, as depicted in the United States Capitol rotunda
painting, the Pilgrims gathered around an open Bible, where they
learned principles that characterize America like republican
government, religious liberty, and equality; and

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WHEREAS, the Pilgrims hosted the first Thanksgiving celebration
in America in 1621, to give thanks to God for bringing them native
friends and allies, and helping them survive the first winter with
hopes that they might prevail again in the coming winter,
establishing a national practice upheld today; and
WHEREAS, the First Great Awakening (1730-1770), led by leaders
such as George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and Samuel Copper,
helped provide the foundation upon which American independence was
later erected; and
WHEREAS, in the first-ever Congress in 1774, at the
recommendation of Samuel Adams, the Rev. Jacob Duche was asked to
open the body in prayer, reading from the scriptures; and
WHEREAS, since America’s founding, government-issued calls to
prayer have been integral to public proceedings, including 15
Continental Congress calls during America’s War for Independence for
days of fasting, humiliation, prayer, and days of thanksgiving, a
practice continued by presidents, governors, and legislatures; and
WHEREAS, on April 30, 1789, President George Washington’s
inauguration preparations were made by Congress, with the
cooperative help of a body of 14 clergy, including ministers from
different denominations and a Rabbi. Religious activities at the
inauguration included Bible-based oath, prayers, and worship
services, with one-third of his inaugural address reflecting God’s

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providential role; many inauguration traditions were continued by
subsequent presidents; and
WHEREAS, beginning in 1800, weekly church services were held in
the United States Capitol building, where Thomas Jefferson
faithfully attended services throughout his eight years of
presidency and other presidents, senators, and representatives
likewise went to church at the Capitol; and
WHEREAS, the Second Great Awakening, in the early 19th century,
led by figures like Harry Hoosier, Lemuel Haynes, Andrew Bryan,
Francis Asbury, and Charles Finney, inspired reforms including
abolition, temperance, and women’s rights; and
WHEREAS, President Abraham Lincoln’s call for a day of
humiliation, fasting, and prayer on March 30, 1863, focused on
correcting the spiritual condition of the American people in the
midst of the nation tearing itself apart in the Civil War; Lincoln
called on the people to examine their own relationship with God and
His Scriptures, and conform their lives to that standard; and
WHEREAS, on February 12, 1865, Rev. Henry Highland Garnet, the
first Black American to speak in Congress, preached a sermon on the
floor of Congress to celebrate the 13th Amendment’s passage, enacted
two weeks earlier to abolish slavery; and
WHEREAS, from 1774 to the present, the government has produced
military Bibles and more than 67 versions of the Bibles and Armed
Forces Prayer Books have been officially distributed to soldiers,

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sailors, and airmen as a source of spiritual strength and
encouragement, including in every conflict from the American War for
Independence to the War on Terror; and
WHEREAS, President Franklin Roosevelt, when he announced the
active invasion on D-Day, June 6, 1944, during World War II, led the
American people in a 6-minute prayer on behalf of the safety of the
troops who, at that very moment, were unloading and under fire; he
also prayed for the success of the operation; and
WHEREAS, Dwight Eisenhower started the National Prayer Breakfast
and added “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance, added “In God We
Trust” to all currency, made “In God We Trust” the National Motto,
and facilitated the addition of a Prayer Room in the United States
Capitol; and
WHEREAS, in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., jailed in Birmingham
for defying a policy banning unpermitted gatherings, penned his
Letter From a Birmingham Jail, defending nonviolent action against
injustice with historical precedents from church leaders,
reinforcing the moral and religious duty to confront wrong; and
WHEREAS, America’s history from the past 250 years has been
marked by the prevalence of faith and divine providence, and her
history affirms a clear and firm reliance on God and the Bible.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE 2ND SESSION
OF THE 60TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:

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THAT this state reaffirms its commitment to the principles
upheld in the Declaration of Independence, that we are endowed by
the Creator with inalienable rights, and it is with a firm reliance
on the protection of divine providence that we mutually pledge
together our lives and fortunes and sacred honor in preservation of
America and her next 250 years.

60-2-3560 TAS 1/21/2026 11:12:54 AM