later formed the crux of the Constitution of the United States;
and
WHEREAS, William Penn described Pennsylvania as his "holy
experiment" and from it, he hoped, a nation based on justice
would grow; and
WHEREAS, William Penn's charter exists as the formal
beginning of the colony and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Through it, William Penn established the first
conscious example of democracy in what would become the United
States of America; and
WHEREAS, Our citizens benefit from learning more about the
overall history of this Commonwealth from its founding until
today and how the principles of governance within the
Commonwealth date back to the beliefs of William Penn; and
WHEREAS, The act of July 28, 1953 (P.L.676, No.210) provides
for the observance of March 14 of each year as "Charter Day" and
urges the people of this Commonwealth, the public schools and
other educational institutions and patriotic, religious,
historical and veterans' organizations to observe on that day
the anniversary of the execution of the Royal Charter by King
Charles II; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission,
the Pennsylvania State Archives and the State Historical Records
Advisory Board each works to inform our residents about the
Commonwealth's heritage, including sponsoring the 17th Annual
"Charter Day" event on Sunday, March 13, 2016, at many
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission historical sites
and properties in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania has 25 other State historic sites and
museums and numerous other historical organizations that
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