Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives convened at Congress Hall in Philadelphia to commemorate the United States’ semiquincentennial.
Lawmakers gathered in Old City for the fifth time in history to vote on celebratory resolutions after the nation’s 250th anniversary this past July. During the Sept. 9 session, representatives highlighted America250PA’s work sponsoring civic engagement initiatives in the state.
America250PA — the official semiquincentennial Pennsylvania Commission — was established in 2018 to plan and coordinate celebrations ahead of the anniversary.
Patrick Burns, chairman for America250PA, emphasized the program’s importance in encouraging the next generation of civic leaders. As part of the initiative, lawmakers invited 200 students from across the state to attend the historic session.
“America250PA is all about bringing generations together, sharing our heritage and our values, and putting together young people in Pennsylvania in a position to succeed to be like one of you today,” Burns told the legislators.
America250PA Executive Director Cassandra Coleman echoed Burns’ sentiment about empowering young people to become involved in their communities. Coleman — who became mayor of Exeter Borough, Pennsylvania at age 20 — encouraged students to make their voices heard.
“Their voices matter,” Coleman said. “Their ideas matter, their communities matter. They do not need to until they have a title, a degree, or decades of experience before they begin making a difference in each of their communities.”
Given that Congress Hall is smaller than the Capitol floor in Harrisburg, where the House traditionally convenes, the semiquincentennial session was split into two parts to accommodate the lawmakers.
During the first session, the House unanimously passed Resolution 589, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
State Rep. Morgan Cephas (D-192) urged the lawmakers to consider the modern reality of the nation’s founding ideals in an address to the chamber.
“The Founders wrote all ‘men’ are created equal,” Cephas said. “And we spent the next 250 years figuring out the ‘who’ they actually meant.”
She described the U.S. as an “experiment,” adding that there has always been a “gap between when freedom is promised and when it actually reaches people’s lives.”
“That lag runs through the entire history of our country,” Cephas said, asking the representatives to “celebrate how far we have come” and be “honest about the work that remains.”
In the second session of the evening, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Joanna McClinton (D-191) led the chamber in unanimously passing House Resolution 590, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of Pennsylvania.
State Rep. Tim O’Neal (R-48) spoke to Philadelphia — and, particularly, Old City’s — unique role in establishing the U.S.
“The story of America cannot be told without the buildings in this square,” O’Neal said in an address. “This is where Pennsylvania governed, this is where America declared itself free, this is where the Constitution was written. The ordinary people who did those things had no guarantee this experiment would last 250 years. They simply did their part to make sure it could. Now that responsibility belongs to us.”
Staff reporter Ishani Modi covers state and local politics and can be reached at modi@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies biochemistry.
