Political Quotes

“Mr. President, on March 15, 1820, Maine became our Nation's 23rd State. It is a pleasure to join my fellow Mainers in celebrating this bicentennial and the generations of people who have written an inspiring and remarkable history. The story of Maine begins long before President James Monroe signed the legislation granting statehood to what had been a district of Massachusetts. For thousands of years, the land has been home to the Wabanaki, who have drawn sustenance from Maine's woods and waters. The People of the Dawn remain valued members of our communities today, and their reverence for nature is the foundation of the ethic of environmental stewardship that continues to guide our State. French explorers, led by Samuel de Champlain, first visited the area in 1604. In 1607, more than a decade before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, bold English pioneers established Popham Colony and constructed the first sailing ship built in North America. Ten years later, Captain John Smith sailed the North Atlantic coast and named the region ``New England.'' The European settlers that followed cleared farm fields, cut timber, and harvested the bounty of the sea. They harnessed rivers to power grain, lumber, and textile mills. With pick and shovel, they built roads and, later, railroads to connect communities to one another and Maine to the world. In June of 1775, just 2 months after Lexington and Concord, the first naval battle of the American Revolution was fought at Machias.…”