Greek Independence Day

2025-2026 Bill 5307: Greek Independence Day - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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H. 5307
STATUS INFORMATION
House Resolution
Sponsors: Reps. Stavrinakis, Alexander, Anderson, Atkinson, Bailey, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bauer, Beach, Bernstein, Bowers, Bradley, Brewer, Brittain, Burns, Bustos, Calhoon, Caskey, Chapman, Chumley, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Collins, Cox, Crawford, Cromer, Davis, Dillard, Duncan, Edgerton, Erickson, Ford, Forrest, Frank, Gagnon, Garvin, Gatch, Gibson, Gilliam, Gilliard, Gilreath, Govan, Grant, Guest, Guffey, Haddon, Hager, Hardee, Harris, Hart, Hartnett, Hartz, Hayes, Henderson-Myers, Herbkersman, Hewitt, Hiott, Hixon, Holman, Hosey, Howard, Huff, J.E. Johnson, J.L. Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Kilmartin, King, Kirby, Landing, Lastinger, Lawson, Ligon, Long, Lowe, Luck, Magnuson, Martin, McCabe, McCravy, McDaniel, McGinnis, C. Mitchell, D. Mitchell, Montgomery, J. Moore, T. Moore, Morgan, Moss, Neese, B. Newton, W. Newton, Oremus, Pace, Pedalino, Pope, Rankin, Reese, Rivers, Robbins, Rose, Rutherford, Sanders, Schuessler, Scott, Sessions, G.M. Smith, M.M. Smith, Spann-Wilder, Taylor, Teeple, Terribile, Vaughan, Waters, Weeks, Wetmore, White, Whitmire, Wickensimer, Williams, Willis, Wooten and Yow
Document Path: LC-0375HDB-RM26.docx
Introduced in the House on March 4, 2026
Adopted by the House on March 4, 2026
Summary: Greek Independence Day
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

3/4/2026

House

Introduced and adopted (
House Journal-page 4
)

View the latest
legislative information
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VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
03/04/2026

A
house
RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE AND
COMMEND GREECE AS THE "CRADLE OF DEMOCRACY" AND TO CELEBRATE MARCH 25, 2026, AS
GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY.

W
hereas, on March 25,
1821, the Feast Day of the Annunciation, the Greek nation reclaimed its ancient
heritage as the "Cradle of Democracy" by overthrowing the yoke of oppression that
had enslaved its people since the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Conquered by
the Ottoman Turks in the fifteenth century, Greece waged a successful war of
independence (1821-1829) and reinstituted a democratic form of government; and

W
hereas, the people of
the United States generously offered humanitarian assistance to the Greek
people during their struggle for independence; and

W
hereas, the price for
Greece in holding on to our common values in their region proved to be high, as
hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed in Greece during World War II;
and

W
hereas, Greece is one
of only three nations in the world, beyond the former British Empire, that have
been allied with the United States in every major international conflict over
the last one hundred years; and

W
hereas, located in a
region where Christianity meets Islam and Judaism, Greece maintains excellent
relations with Muslim nations and with Israel and demonstrates religious
tolerance; and

W
hereas, the ancient
Macedonians were Hellenes, and their Hellenic descendants are in present-day
Macedonia, a northern province of Greece; and

W
hereas, Greece and the
United States are at the forefront of the effort for freedom, democracy, peace,
stability, and human rights; and

W
hereas, over the past
year, the United States has significantly increased its engagement with Greece
in the maritime sector. In partnership with the Greek shipping fleet, the
United States is helping Greece and all of southeast Europe to ensure energy independence;
and

W
hereas, March 25,
2026, Greek Independence Day, marks the anniversary of the beginning of the
revolution that freed the Greek people from the Ottoman Empire and celebrates
the aspirations for democracy and tolerance that the people of Greece and the
United States share; and

W
hereas, it is proper
and desirable for the United States to celebrate this anniversary with the
Greek people and to reaffirm the democratic principles from which these two
great nations were born and for South Carolina to reaffirm its abiding
commitment to the magnificent principles of democracy and religious freedom.
Now, therefore,

B
e it resolved by the
House of Representatives
:

T
hat the members of the
South Carolina
House of Representatives
,
by this resolution, recognize and commend Greece as the "Cradle of Democracy"
and celebrate March 25, 2026, as Greek Independence Day.

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This web page was last updated on March 4, 2026 at 11:02 AM