H 5187

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Bill 5187
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)
A house RESOLUTION
TO COMMEMORATE FEBRUARY 22, 2026,
AS "GEORGE WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY" IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND TO ENCOURAGE ALL
CITIZENS OF THE PALMETTO STATE TO REMEMBER AND HONOR OUR GREAT COUNTRY'S FIRST
PRESIDENT, WHO LED OUR ANCESTORS THROUGH THE DARK DAYS OF REVOLUTION TO THE
FOUNDING OF A NEW NATION.
Whereas, born in Virginia on February 22, 1732, President George
Washington became known as the "Father of Our Country" as a result of the
critical role he played as commander in chief of the Continental Army in the
American Revolutionary War, his service as president of the 1787 Constitutional
Convention, and his two terms as the first president of the United States of
America (1789-1797); and
Whereas, in 1791, in an effort to unify the new country, President
George Washington toured the Southern states. On April 27, he crossed into
South Carolina and headed to Horry County. On April 30, he spent the night in
Georgetown and the next morning had breakfast with Eliza Lucas Pinckney and her
daughter Harriott Horry at Hampton Plantation. Washington then spent more than
a week, May 1-10, visiting locations across Charleston County, a period of time
longer than his stay in any other location during his tour of the Southern
states; and
Whereas, during his stay in Charleston, President Washington visited
many local sites, including Awendaw Barony, the home of Joseph Manigault; See
Farm, the country home of Governor Charles Pinckney; the ferry landing at
Haddrell's Point in what is now known as Mount Pleasant; Prioleau's Wharf; the
Exchange Building; the home of Thomas Heyward, now known as the Heyward-Washington
House; the city home of Governor Pinckney on Meeting Street; the Orphan House;
St. Michael's Church; and St. Philip's Church, all in downtown Charleston; and
Whereas, President Washington also joined General William Moultrie
and others in surveying local military installations and the remains of the
lines and batteries thrown up for the defense of the city when it was attacked
by the British fleet and army, including Fort Johnson on James Island, as well
as Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island; and
Whereas, upon leaving the city proper, President Washington crossed
the Ashley River on a bridge that ended at the modern-day Bees Ferry Road,
where he visited Sandy Hill, the home of his cousin, Colonel William
Washington. He further visited the home of Thomas Bee near Jacksonboro. President
Washington then made stops in Savannah and Augusta before passing through
Edgefield on his way to Columbia, where he was greeted by troops and
entertained at the Lafayette House. Finally, he visited Camden before crossing over
into North Carolina; and
Whereas, President George Washington struggled with the institution
of slavery throughout his life. At the end of his life, he made the decision to
free all the enslaved people he owned upon the death of his wife, making him
the only president of the nine who owned slaves to do so. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of
Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House
of Representatives, by this resolution, commemorate February 22, 2026,
as "George Washington's Birthday" in South Carolina and encourage all citizens
of the Palmetto State to remember and honor our great country's first
president, who led our ancestors through the dark days of revolution to the
founding of a new nation.
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This web page was last updated on February 17, 2026 at 12:57 PM