Bill Text: IL HR0232 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Recognizes the national historic importance and legacy of Nance Legins-Costley and William Costley. Urges the citizens of the State of Illinois to celebrate the new memorial honoring Nance Legins-Costley and William Costley in Downtown Pekin and learn more about the impact these fellow citizens of Illinois had on the history of the United States.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2023-04-26 - Referred to Rules Committee [HR0232 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HR0232-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives wish to recognize the national historic | ||||||
4 | importance and legacy of Nance Legins-Costley and William | ||||||
5 | Costley; and
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6 | WHEREAS, For Juneteenth this year, Tazewell County will be | ||||||
7 | dedicating a new memorial in Downtown Pekin to honor Nance | ||||||
8 | Legins-Costley and William Costley, a mother and son who were | ||||||
9 | both born into slavery and recognized throughout the world as | ||||||
10 | the first enslaved individuals emancipated by then attorney | ||||||
11 | Abraham Lincoln in 1841; and
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12 | WHEREAS, While born into slavery in 1813, Nance | ||||||
13 | Legins-Costley firmly asserted her claim to freedom by age 14, | ||||||
14 | beginning what would be 14 years of legal challenges to her | ||||||
15 | enslaved status; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Nance Legins-Costley finally gained freedom for | ||||||
17 | herself and her children, as their legal status was a direct | ||||||
18 | reflection of their mother's, when Abraham Lincoln presented | ||||||
19 | her case before the Illinois Supreme Court in the famous | ||||||
20 | Bailey vs. Cromwell case in 1841; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Nance Legins-Costley married Benjamin Costley in |
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1 | 1840; together, they raised five daughters and three sons, | ||||||
2 | living in Pekin for over 50 years; and
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3 | WHEREAS, Nance Legins-Costley became the first and only | ||||||
4 | enslaved individual to own property in Pekin in 1849; and
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5 | WHEREAS, William Costley, Nance Legins-Costley's oldest | ||||||
6 | son, answered President Abraham Lincoln's call to defend the | ||||||
7 | Union during the American Civil War by volunteering for the | ||||||
8 | Union Army in 1864, joining the famed 29th U.S. Colored | ||||||
9 | Infantry; and
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10 | WHEREAS, William Costley's military service included | ||||||
11 | participating in the Siege of Petersburg, where he was injured | ||||||
12 | in battle, and the Appomattox Campaign in Virginia in 1865; | ||||||
13 | and
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14 | WHEREAS, William Costley was transferred with the 29th | ||||||
15 | U.S. Colored Infantry to Galveston, Texas, where he assisted | ||||||
16 | General Gordon Granger in enforcing the Emancipation | ||||||
17 | Proclamation, liberating the last stronghold of slavery in the | ||||||
18 | United States on June 19, 1865; and
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19 | WHEREAS, This enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation | ||||||
20 | in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 is celebrated and | ||||||
21 | observed today as the holiday Juneteenth in the State of |
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1 | Illinois and by the federal government; and
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2 | WHEREAS, The new memorial in Downtown Pekin and a new | ||||||
3 | memorial in the Southside of Peoria are the only permanent | ||||||
4 | indicators of Nance Legins-Costley's life, and the new | ||||||
5 | memorial in Downtown Pekin will be the only permanent | ||||||
6 | indicator of William Costley's life in the State of Illinois; | ||||||
7 | and
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8 | WHEREAS, The new memorial has been recognized by the | ||||||
9 | Illinois Historical Society with official Illinois Historical | ||||||
10 | Markers, providing further testimony to the national historic | ||||||
11 | impact of the lives of Nance Legins-Costley and William | ||||||
12 | Costley; and
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13 | WHEREAS, The new memorial to preserve the legacy of Nance | ||||||
14 | Legins-Costley and William Costley's lives was made possible | ||||||
15 | by the efforts of Tazewell County Clerk John C. Ackerman, the | ||||||
16 | City of Pekin, the Pekin Chamber of Commerce, the Pekin Main | ||||||
17 | Street Organization, the Dirksen Congressional Center, the | ||||||
18 | Pekin Library, the Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical | ||||||
19 | Society, the YWCA Coalition for Equality, and Pekin Historian | ||||||
20 | Jared Olar; therefore, be it
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21 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
22 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
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1 | we recognize the national historic importance and legacy of | ||||||
2 | Nance Legins-Costley and William Costley; and be it further
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3 | RESOLVED, That we urge the citizens of the State of | ||||||
4 | Illinois to celebrate the new memorial honoring Nance | ||||||
5 | Legins-Costley and William Costley in Downtown Pekin and learn | ||||||
6 | more about the impact these fellow citizens of Illinois had on | ||||||
7 | the history of the United States; and be it further
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8 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
9 | presented to Tazewell County Clerk John C. Ackerman, the City | ||||||
10 | of Pekin, the Pekin Chamber of Commerce, the Pekin Main Street | ||||||
11 | Organization, the Dirksen Congressional Center, the Pekin | ||||||
12 | Library, the Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical | ||||||
13 | Society, the YWCA Coalition for Equality, and Pekin Historian | ||||||
14 | Jared Olar | ||||||
as an expression of our esteem and respect.
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