WHEREAS, the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Nineteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, ratified between 1865 and 1920, provide voting rights and other rights that allow each citizen to participate in the governance of their state and the United States; and
WHEREAS, these four amendments provide equal protections to all citizens of the United States, regardless of race, color, sex, and the country from or method by which they or their ancestors came to the United States; and
WHEREAS, Section 1 of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction" and was ratified on December 6, 1865; and
WHEREAS, Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws" and was ratified on July 9, 1868; and
WHEREAS, Section 1 of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude" and was ratified on February 3, 1870; and
WHEREAS, the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation" and was ratified on August 18, 1920; and
WHEREAS, the United States is strengthened and enriched by the diverse cultures that have contributed and continue to contribute to the American melting pot, and these four amendments allow citizens the freedom to recognize their ancestral heritage while integrating those traditions into American culture; and
WHEREAS, the equal rights and freedoms granted by these four amendments should be recognized and celebrated; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly designate June 19 through the third Monday in July, in 2021 and in each succeeding year, as Liberty Amendments Month in Virginia; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate post the designation of this month on the General Assembly's website.