Fairfax Resolves Day

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

Fairfax Resolves Day

WHEREAS, in response to the British Intolerable Acts, leaders in Fairfax County, Virginia, including George Washington and George Mason, met on July 5, 1774, to form a committee to draft a document that would, as Washington described, "define our Constitutional Rights;" and

WHEREAS, acting on the committee's recommendations, George Washington and George Mason collaborated to finalize a set of resolutions known as the Fairfax Resolves, which were adopted by 25 signers on July 18, 1774, at a meeting of Fairfax County residents chaired by Washington at the courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the Fairfax Resolves asserted the constitutional rights of the colonies, based on the proposition that "taxation and representation are inseparable," and called for an economic nonimportation plan in protest of British policies to be adopted by a congress of the colonies; and

WHEREAS, Washington carried the Fairfax Resolves to the First Virginia Convention in August 1774, where they guided the formation of the Virginia Association, and to the First Continental Congress in September 1774, where they directly influenced the formation of the Continental Association between the colonies; and

WHEREAS, the Fairfax Resolves were an important influence on other foundational documents that defined the basic rights and freedoms of the citizens of the United States, including the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the United States Bill of Rights, which continue to serve as a beacon of liberty and justice across the globe for those who yearn and struggle to achieve the basic human desire to be free; and

WHEREAS, July 18, 2024, marks the 250th anniversary of the adoption and signing of the Fairfax Resolves, and many activities in commemoration of the 250th anniversary are planned in Alexandria and Fairfax County, Virginia, by local governments, historical societies, and organizations such as the Fairfax Resolves Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Children of the American Revolution;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize July 18, 2024, as FAIRFAX RESOLVES DAY in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.