Assembly Resolution No. 585

BY: M. of A. Brabenec

MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
October 2017, as Czech-American Heritage Month in
the State of New York

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay just tribute to the cultural heritage of the ethnic groups which
comprise and contribute to the richness and diversity of the community
of the State of New York; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in keeping with its
time-honored traditions, it is the sense of this Legislative Body to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim October 2017, as
Czech-American Heritage Month in the State of New York; and

WHEREAS, Augustine Herman was the first documented Czech (Bohemian)
settler in North America; while working for the West India Company, he
came to New Amsterdam, now known as New York; and

WHEREAS, A man of many talents, Augustine Herman became one of the
most influential people in the Dutch Province which led to his
appointment to the Council of Nine to advise the New Amsterdam Governor
Peter Stuyvesant; one of his greatest achievements was his celebrated
map of Maryland and Virginia commissioned by Lord Baltimore; and

WHEREAS, There was another Bohemian living in New Amsterdam at that
time, Frederick Philipse, who became equally famous; he was a successful
merchant who, eventually, became the wealthiest person in the entire
Dutch Province; and

WHEREAS, In 1735, the first significant wave of Czech colonists, the
Moravian Brethren, began arriving on the American shores; they were the
followers of the teachings of the Czech religious reformer and martyr
Jan Hus and Bishop John Amos Comenius; and

WHEREAS, The Moravian Brethren first settled in Savannah, Georgia,
and then in Pennsylvania, from which they spread to other states after
the American Revolution, especially Ohio; they established a number of
Moravian settlements, such as Bethlehem and Lititz in Pennsylvania and
Salem in North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, The Moravians made great contributions to the growth and
development of the United States culture, most notably in music; the
trumpets and horns used by the Moravians in Georgia are the first
evidence of Moravian instrumental music in America; and

WHEREAS, In 1776, at the time of the Declaration of Independence,
more than two thousand Moravian Brethren lived in the colonies; the
Moravian Brethren established a close relationship with President Thomas
Jefferson, who designated special lands to the missionaries to civilize
the Indians and promote Christianity; and

WHEREAS, The free uncultivated land in America encouraged
immigration throughout the nineteenth century; most of the immigrants

were farmers and settled in the Midwestern states; immigration reached a
peak in 1907, when 13,554 Catholic Czechs entered the eastern ports; and

WHEREAS, By 1910, the Czech population was 349,000, and by 1940 it
was 1,764,000; today, 1,615,000 Czech-Americans live in the United
States; and

WHEREAS, Czech-Americans have made significant contributions to
American society as doctors, politicians, musicians, athletes, and
teachers; and

WHEREAS, Czech-American, Madeleine Albright was the first woman to
hold the office of United States Secretary of State; and

WHEREAS, Another noteworthy Czech-American is Thomas Robert Cech, a
Chemist who was the recipient of the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for
the discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA; and

WHEREAS, Czech-American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the
aspirations and values that have been shared with the Czech people for
generations, and to recognize the countless contributions of Americans
and New Yorkers of Czech descent to every aspect of society; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim October 2017, as
Czech-American Heritage Month in the State of New York; and be it
further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of
New York.