HR 486 — A Resolution recognizing July 5, 2026, as "Venezuelan Independence Day" in Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.    3242

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 486
                                              Session of
                                                2026

     INTRODUCED BY CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, BURGOS, HARKINS, HOHENSTEIN,
        PIELLI, SANCHEZ, RIVERA, FREEMAN, SHUSTERMAN, BRIGGS,
        PASHINSKI, MALAGARI, STEELE, GIRAL, PROBST, MAYES AND
        BELLMON, APRIL 20, 2026

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AND
        OPERATIONS, APRIL 21, 2026


                               A RESOLUTION
 1   Recognizing July 5, 2026, as "Venezuelan Independence Day" in
 2      Pennsylvania.
 3      WHEREAS, On July 5, 1811, after nearly 300 years on the
 4   margins of the Spanish-American empire, Venezuela moved to the
 5   forefront of the Latin-American independence movement and became
 6   the first colony in the Americas to proclaim its independence
 7   from Spain, which is why Venezuela commemorates this date as its
 8   Independence Day; and
 9      WHEREAS, That declaration of independence was followed by a
10   decade of complex and bloody conflict with Spain that saw the
11   rise of revolutionary leaders and the expansion of the struggle
12   for liberation across South America, as well as crucial support
13   from abroad, including a British and Irish legion and aid sent
14   by the newly formed Republic of Haiti; and
15      WHEREAS, Near the end of that decade of war, after the
16   patriot victory at the legendary Battle of Boyacá in 1819, the
 1   independence movement joined Venezuela with the territories that
 2   are now Colombia, Panama and Ecuador to form the República de
 3   Gran Colombia; and
 4      WHEREAS, Two years later, with their combined forces united
 5   through the República de Gran Colombia, the patriots won a
 6   decisive battle at Carabobo in 1821, defeating the main Spanish
 7   royalist army in Venezuela and freeing the nation from Spanish
 8   control; and
 9      WHEREAS, After the success of the Venezuelan War of
10   Independence, forces of the República de Gran Colombia further
11   shaped the course of world history and the struggle against
12   Spanish rule by helping to secure the liberation of Peru and
13   Upper Peru, the latter of which became Bolivia in 1825; and
14      WHEREAS, After the dissolution of the República de Gran
15   Colombia in 1830, Venezuela emerged as a separate sovereign
16   republic; and
17      WHEREAS, Though victorious, Venezuela's long war for
18   independence demanded extraordinary sacrifice, claiming more
19   than 250,000 lives; and
20      WHEREAS, Philadelphia was an important center for Spanish-
21   American revolutionary activity as its printers, merchants and
22   intellectual circles helped spread the ideas of independence
23   across the Americas; and
24      WHEREAS, This environment in Philadelphia helped influence
25   Venezuelan independent thought, as future Venezuelan
26   revolutionaries who visited the city encountered ideas of
27   liberty, self-government and independence, promoted by leaders
28   of the American Revolution, and at least one Venezuelan
29   revolutionary leader fought in the American Revolutionary War
30   before joining Venezuela's own struggle for independence; and

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 1      WHEREAS, Philadelphia still honors its ties with Venezuela's
 2   independence legacy through a statue on the Benjamin Franklin
 3   Parkway, dedicated in 1977 as a gift from the Venezuelan
 4   government to the City of Philadelphia; and
 5      WHEREAS, Today, more than 6,500 Venezuelans reside in this
 6   Commonwealth, making meaningful contributions to its civic,
 7   cultural and community life; and
 8      WHEREAS, Recognizing "Venezuelan Independence Day" in
 9   Pennsylvania provides an opportunity to honor Venezuela's
10   historic struggle for self-determination, remember those who
11   gave their lives in that cause, acknowledge Pennsylvania's
12   historic ties to Venezuelan independence and celebrate the
13   Venezuelans who contribute to the life of this Commonwealth
14   today; therefore be it
15      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize July 5,
16   2026, as "Venezuelan Independence Day" in Pennsylvania.




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