This past weekend the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania celebrated its 223rd year as the second State to be admitted to the new United States of America. Its history is varied, from the Algonquin and Iroquois natives who met Dutch explorers in 1609 to the Quaker named William Penn who founded Philadelphia in 1682. That fair city served as the Nation's Capital from 1790 to 1800. Both the First and Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, and General George Washington and his Continental Army survived a harsh winter at Valley Forge during the Revolution. In 1787, the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania became the second State admitted. As we became a Nation, the State grew and produced iron and milled grain, plied the steamboat on its rivers, and drilled the first commercially successful oil well near Titusville. More recently, we have gone from the production of oil and steel to the new boom of the Marcellus natural gas play. I congratulate the State on its milestone of its 223rd year and celebrate the freedom that allows the Commonwealth to pursue prosperity with natural gas development and help the Nation with its energy needs.
Editor's note · Context
The speaker celebrates Pennsylvania's 223rd anniversary and its historical significance.
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