Rodney Frelinghuysen: “for Greek-Americans and those who practice the Greek Orthodox faith, I rise in their honor to join in the commemoration…”

“for Greek-Americans and those who practice the Greek Orthodox faith, I rise in their honor to join in the commemoration of the very special 175th anniversary of Greek Independence Day. Our mutual respect for freedom and liberty for all mankind dates back to the late 18th century when our Founding Fathers looked to ancient Greece for direction on writing our own Constitution. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson persuaded a noted Greek scholar, John Paradise, to come to the United States for consultation on the political philosophy of democracy. Later, the Greeks adopted the American Declaration of Independence as their own, sealing a bond which has endured between our two nations ever since. March 25, marks the date when in 1821, the Greek people rose against four centuries of Ottoman rule. Under the leadership of Alexander Ypsilanti, the Greek people fought valiantly in pursuit of freedom and self-rule for 8 years. Finally, in 1827, the Allied powers lent support to the Greek effort. In 1829, not only did the united forces defeat the Turks, but the Greek people also gained recognition of their independence by the very power that had oppressed them since the fifteenth century.”